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Eastleigh's Second Avenue residents, businesses bear the brunt of floods

A flooded section of Eastleigh's Second Avenue after heavy rains. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

By Abdirahman Khalif | 15 Apr 2024

The recurring floods are mostly due to the absence of a functional sewage system capable of draining and diverting rainwater.

Eastleigh's Second Avenue has become synonymous with floods every time the skies open up.

The recurring floods are mostly due to the absence of a functional sewage system capable of draining and diverting rainwater.

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Coupled with the road's deplorable condition, water stagnation makes the situation worse, particularly around 10th Street, where a huge pothole acts as a reservoir during rainfall.

The situation of Second Avenue has been further worsened by the actions of building contractors, who indiscriminately dispose of wastes along the road.

In the past two months alone, over six construction projects have contributed to the degradation by dumping waste, including underground well-sinking debris, aggravating the already dire state of this important road.

Motorists, like Dahir Ibrahim, a local taxi driver, bear the brunt of driving through this road during rainy weather.

Expressing his frustration, Dahir highlighted the absence of a sewage infrastructure system on this road.

"There is no sewage system here; if there were, it would have been blocked long ago. It's a challenging driving here," he said.

Vincent Kamau who came to drop off a customer at 9th Street said his car almost broke down.

"It is so dark and the road is flooded, I almost broke my car after passing through a pothole," said Kamau echoing the sentiments of many users of this road.

A flooded section of Eastleigh's Second Avenue after heavy rains. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

Businesses along Second Avenue also suffer huge losses when it rains and floods. Hawkers who mostly do their business here, fearing the destruction of their wares, are forced to close.

Even established shops struggle to attract customers, as accessibility by customers becomes limited.

However, amidst these problems, some are cashing in from the rains.

A group of mkokoteni operators, capitalize on the floods by offering pedestrian ferrying services across the flooded sections of the road to the other side.

They charge a fee of Sh20 per person. Sometimes the mkokoteni hits a rock making some of the people being ferried fall awkwardly into the flooded roads.

Residents living on the flats along Second Avenue are not spared from the consequences of the floods.

Those caught outside during the rain find themselves stranded, unable to reach their homes, while those indoors are effectively marooned until the floodwaters recede.

Despite assurances from Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja during a recent visit to Eastleigh, promising to push for the road's rehabilitation, the timeline for such actions remains uncertain, leaving residents and businesses in limbo.

Yusuf Haji Road, another critical road in Eastleigh, shares a similar fate, bearing the brunt of the floods during heavy rains

Despite recent efforts by Nairobi City County to unclog sewage systems in Eastleigh, most roads flood immediately after it rains.

On Saturday, the Kenya Meteorological Department advised Kenyans from across the country to prepare for heavy rainfall that will run this week until Thursday.