KRA confirms deaths of its two officers swept away by floods in Kwale
According to Kwale County Commissioner Michael Meru, the two bodies were found on Sunday morning along with another one said to be that of a boda boda rider who drowned at the same spot.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has confirmed the deaths of its two employees who went missing after their vehicle was swept away by floods in Kwale County on Friday.
KRA on Sunday said it was "deeply saddened to announce the demise of the two officers."
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"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family members, friends, relatives, and colleagues. We wish to thank and appreciate the multiagency team and the local community for their assistance in the search and rescue operation," KRA said in their statement.
According to Kwale County Commissioner Michael Meru, the two bodies were found on Sunday morning along with another one said to be that of a boda boda rider who drowned at the same spot.
A multi-agency team led by the Kenya Coast Guard Service led the efforts to retrieve the bodies.
Their Land Cruiser vehicle which was swept away by floods at the Ramisi Bridge in Lungalunga had been recovered earlier and was towed to the Msambweni Police Station.
The two KRA officers were identified as Joram Maina who is the Lungalunga Border Management Committee Chairperson and David Ng'ang'a.
According to Lunga-Lunga Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Sawe, the unfortunate event transpired around 7 pm when the duo attempted to cross the flooded Ramisi Bridge near the Kwale International Sugar Company Limited.
Having left the Lunga-Lunga one-stop border at 5:40 pm, the officers, despite being warned by deployed police officers to halt due to the overflowing water, decided to proceed.
The vehicle was overwhelmed by the strong currents, leading to their demise.
Counties affected
The government on Saturday said the counties experiencing El Nino rains had risen from 19 to 33 over the past week.
In a statement issued by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua regarding the flood situation in Kenya, some of the worst affected counties include Mombasa, Garissa, Tana River, Makueni, Marsabit, Kilifi, Kwale, Meru, Isiolo, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir, Homa Bay and Busia.
"At least 80,000 households across the country have been negatively affected - mainly displacements or marooned - with numbers rising every day," Gachagua said.
"Cases of fatalities and missing persons have been reported."
The DP has said the situation has continued to threaten lives and that multi-agency teams drawn from government agencies, county governments and partners are responding in various ways to mitigate the negative impact of the El Nino rains.
Earlier this week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the ongoing El Nino rains in Kenya had claimed 46 lives, with thousands more displaced by floods.
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