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Kenya floods: Amnesty criticises state for poor response to crisis

A member of the National Youth Service (NYS) searches for the bodies of missing people after flash floods wiped out several homes following heavy rains in Kamuchiri village of Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, on May 1, 2024. (Photo: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters)

By Hanifa Adan | 06 May 2024

Flash floods in the March–May long rain season have left at least 229 dead, thousands displaced and living in camps, and massive property damage.

Amnesty Kenya is the latest organisation to criticise Kenya's flood response, highlighting inadequate preparedness by President William Ruto's government and calling for proper steps to be taken to prevent more devastation.

Flash floods in the March-May long rain season have left at least 229 dead, according to the government, thousands displaced and living in camps, and massive property damage. The devastation, as the government scrambles for solutions, has exposed its shortcomings.

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"The scientists told us to prepare for heavy rainfall and flash floods," Amnesty said in a statement on Monday. "The elders tell us this is the worst flood since 1961. Yet, as an entire nation finds itself vulnerable to nature and braces for Cyclone Hidaya, the government's response has been woefully inadequate."

The organisation provided grim statistics, saying that as of Thursday, at least 188 Kenyans had died and 125 injured and that 90 were missing while more than 190,000 had been displaced in a few weeks.

Amnesty noted that the most affected are the poor, marginalised, and at-risk populations, such as children, persons with disabilities, and older people.

It criticised a remark from a presidential advisor who said, "Kenya Kwanza is not our agony aunt, so stop whining," as indicative of the government's dismissive attitude towards the plight of its citizens.

"Those who have survived death by drowning rage against a government that has spectacularly failed them," the statement continued.

Reflecting on the legal framework, Amnesty said Kenya is a party to 20 international treaties and agreements related to disaster management and that under Article 2 of the constitution, they form part of the law, which "obligates the state to protect all persons from risks to their dignity and life."

Regarding the latest address by President William Ruto, the organisation said his remarks were worryingly vague on how much the Treasury has been instructed to use in funding national and county government emergency programmes.

"The promise of relocation and shelter support, a life-and-death issue for thousands currently homeless, was also unclear," the statement said, adding there are gaps in response.

The organisation further criticised the absence of crucial support services such as navy divers to retrieve bodies and officers to assist with trauma counselling and essential medications.

The statement concluded with a call for the national and county governments to "interrupt the opportunistic rental hikes, waive the costs of mandatory post-mortems, replace identity documents, birth certificates, and driving licences, and offer a one-off Sh5,000 start-up capital for the affected for the next three months."

Human Rights Watch registered its criticism last Thursday, noting that it was only on April 24, after nearly a month of continuous heavy rains, that President Ruto announced the creation of a multi-agency team to manage the crisis.

This came after the death toll had risen significantly.