Kirinyaga: Floods paralyse transport as shop owners count losses
Hundreds of
passengers and motorists that were travelling to and from Kagio town in
Kirinyaga County were on Saturday night left stranded for hours after raging
water flooded Kagio town along Kagio-Kutus-Sagana roads.
Traders,
residents, and motorists expressed frustration with the government for what
they described as a failure to find a lasting solution to flooding in the Calabash area.
“We are
counting losses in our businesses after water flooded our stores and this is
not the first incident. This week the county government of Kirinyaga came and
said they have unblocked the drainage system but right now we are counting
losses,” Peter Wanjohi said.
Locals in
the Kagio market also accused the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) of
allowing a new petrol station to be constructed near the road and small
culverts erected along the busy road.
They expressed
frustration over the destruction of electric poles by the floods as it has
affected the electricity supply in the town.
“Life is
unbearable without electricity in our houses and our business after three
electricity fell on a parked sand lorry in this town,” Peter Muriithi, one of
the residents, said.
Kirinyaga
Governor Anne Waiguru initiated emergency disaster response
measures to deal with floods and other emergencies arising from heavy rains
that have hit the county.
“We want
her government to move faster as we have not seen them on the ground. We are
still suffering. I'm counting the loss of over Ksh.500,000 after my rice was
flooded in my store near the flooded road,” local trader Peter Maina said.
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