Heavy rains have continued to cause havoc in most parts of Narok County with at least three people reported dead in the last 1 week.
According to police reports, the victims met their death through drowning as they crossed flooded rivers in Narok South and West Sub Counties.
The first case was reported over the weekend after a tractor driving along the Ololunga - Nkareta road in Narok South Sub County, Ololunga Division, attempted to cross the Ewaso-Nyiro river which was overflowing due to the day’s heavy rains.
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“The tractor had two passengers on board apart from the driver. It was swept by the raging waters thereby throwing all the three occupants into the river where one of them died and two were rescued,” Narok county commander Kizito Mutoro stated.
Mutoro said the Narok South security team rushed to the scene and mobilised police officers assisted by members of the public to rescue the victims.
He said the team saved Waithaka aged 40, and Ole Nkoitoi,32, from the river in the Olepolos area about two kilometres from Ololunga town who were later rushed to Ololunga Sub County Hospital whereas the driver Mureithi Mwangi, 45, is yet to be traced and is believed to have died.
Rescue efforts are still underway to locate the missing driver.
In the second incident, a gasoline-loaded truck toppled over Mara Marianda bridge in Narok West with two people thrown into the crocodile-infested Mara River.
“The notorious bridge has killed hundreds of people whenever there is an onset of any rainy season, and the death of the two, is a norm here,” a resident of Mararianda stated.
A philanthropist working in the Mara Amos Kipeen posted on his Facebook account;
“The Long awaited rains with ravaging effects already felt in the Mara. There seems to be no action taken despite the fact that this poorly maintained bridge is disastrous over human and wildlife safety year in year out."
He added that the flooding is affecting not only those people living in the area but also touches on the County livestock trading, tourism, and inter-county connections through Narok-Migori-Isibania which is a highway to the neighbouring country Tanzania and plays a significant role in the regional development.
The bridge connects to President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former governor Samuel Tunai homes in Lolgorian in Trasmara South Sub-county.
“We call upon the County Government of Narok and the state government to prioritize rebuilding of the mentioned bridge in order to minimize perennial disruptions associated with this life-threatening situation,” Kipeen appealed.
