Families living around Lake Naivasha given a week to vacate flooded areas

The government has issued a one-week notice to tens of families living in around the Kihoto Estate near Lake Naivasha to vacate following fears of a disease outbreak.

With latrines flooded due to a rise in water levels from the lake, the government has termed part of the estate that is home to hundreds of flower farmworkers as a disaster area.

Already, over 4,000 families and government officers have been displaced by the swelling lake with fears that the numbers could rise in the coming days.

This emerged when Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya toured various development projects in Naivasha.

He termed the situation in Kihoto as serious adding that plans were underway to assist the affected families with food and other non-food items.

Natembeya added that over 500 landlords who had been left behind were the most affected saying  the government would assist them.

On the multi-million new outpatient wing at Naivasha sub-county hospital, Natembeya said that it will be completed in eight months.

He said that Kengen had contributed Ksh300M while the county government had given an additional Ksh31m towards the construction of the health facility.

Natembeya at the same time put on notice contractors involved in government projects warning that they would not entertain any delays.

Simon Wanyoike, a resident of Kihoto said that residents have undergone untold suffering due to a rise in water levels.

He said hundreds of workers who lost their jobs had been forced to relocate again due to the rising water levels that had flooded all structures including latrines.