Floods: Humanitarian crisis looms as Mathare IDP camp crowded

A humanitarian crisis is looming at the Huruma Sports Complex in Mathare, where hundreds of displaced individuals affected by the floods are sheltering.

The Kenya Red Cross has set up camps to accommodate families whose homes were swept away by the floods in areas such as Kiamaiko.

Among the displaced are vulnerable groups, including children and expectant mothers. These families are grappling with shortages of relief supplies such as food, medicine, and other essential necessities.

Betty Barasa, a mother of four with another baby on the way for instance, is nearing her due date, as she is currently in her ninth month of pregnancy.

For the past 13 days, she has been residing in Mathare's Kiamaiko camp alongside hundreds of displaced families seeking refuge.

With childbirth looming, Betty navigates the challenges of sheltering in a congested place.

"There are around 100 people in this tent. We are so crowded; we have nowhere to sleep since the available mattresses and blankets are not enough for all of us," Betty told Citizen TV.

She added that her main worry is the potential of premature delivery or delivering her baby in the challenging conditions of the camp.

"I'm nervous because I don't know how I'd cope if the baby arrived at this moment," she said.

With 81 individuals, including 39 women and 42 children, crowded into one tent and sharing bedding and facilities, the sanitation issue presents a significant threat of diseases associated with poor sanitation, such as Cholera, Diarrhea, and Dysentery, among others.

"We are all using the same toilets and bathrooms so you can imagine how dirty they can get," said Betty.

Shortages of relief supplies exacerbate their situation, leaving them without sufficient food, medicine, or essential items like sanitary pads.

"Some of us don't have clean inner garments; others even share sanitary towels," Ann Njeri, another of the affected persons, said.

These families, who were relocated from Valley Bridge Primary School to allow for the resumption of learning, are urgently appealing to the government for comprehensive assistance and sustainable strategies to address their needs beyond the immediate crisis.

"The government promised each affected family Ksh.10,000 but we haven't received anything. We hope the state will relocate us elsewhere because none of us wants to stay here indefinitely," said Betty.

According to Kenya Red Cross, close to 4,000 families have so far been displaced in flood-related incidents and are seeking refuge in more than 30 camps established in Nairobi.