The Ministry of Interior on Friday, May 16, issued a notice directing residents living in four areas downstream of the Kiambere dam to evacuate citing overflow of the dam.
In the notice issued by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, residents in Garissa, Hola, Garsen and the lower Tana River basin were urged to seek higher ground amidst looming danger posed by the dam.
The government warned that heavy rainfall witnessed in the Mt. Kenya and Aberdare catchment could result in imminent flooding thus affecting the residents who would be the most vulnerable.
“Under the prevailing circumstances, we hereby issue an immediate voluntary evacuation directive to all communities living downstream of the multipurpose reservoir,” stated PS Omollo.
“Residents living downstream and those within the proximity of the spillway zones, particularly those in Garissa and Tana River counties, are at greater risk. We urge these communities to move to higher ground without delay,” he added.
The Kenya Meteorological Department, in its recent weather forecast, warned of potential flooding but maintained that it was monitoring inflow patterns and reservoir levels at Kiambere, Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, and Kindaruma Dams.
Even so, the Interior PS noted that emergency protocols were underway, with teams from the private sector, the National Disaster Operations Centre, and local Disaster Response Committees coordinating the evacuation.
The Kenya Red Cross Society and the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) were also reported to be on standby for rescue operations.
“The private sector is also undertaking other precautionary measures, key among them controlled spillages, to safeguard the structural integrity of the reservoirs,” Omollo noted.
To avert potential loss of life, the PS stated that all available resources were being mobilised in coordination with local government administrators (NGAOs), who were actively securing temporary shelters in public schools, churches, and other designated government facilities.
Even as he urged the affected residents to evacuate immediately, Omollo disclosed that public health officials were mobilising humanitarian support mechanisms to provide immediate relief and safe refuge for affected families.
