Kitengela woman who went online to plead for rescue amid severe floods finally finds help

A Kitengela woman who took to the microblogging site X to appeal for help after being marooned in her house due to excessive flooding has finally found help.

Over 14 hours ago, approximately 2.48am Wednesday morning, X user Wangari Gikonyo unleashed a series of desperate tweets asking her followers and Kenyans in general to rescue her as her home had flooded and she was now unable to get out.

"OMG. We are dying. Anyone in Kitengela please help. FLOODS!" she tweeted. 

Three hours later, the woman shared a short video on X showing the serious extent of the flooding around her home and the entire compound - including the roads around it.

She wrote; "Still waiting to be rescued!"

At some point, as the situation appeared to get even more hazardous, Gikonyo said that all she cared about was her children and was desperately looking to save them - not her personal belongings. 

"Nataka tu kutoka na watoi. Izi vitu ata sitaki," she pleaded. "Niko na watoto kwa nyumba nisaidieni..."

After enduring a nightmarish episode, characterized by relentless storms and unprecedented flooding, Gikonyo has now announced that she has finally found help.

She took to the same platform to thank her followers and anyone who tried extending their help, saying that she had finally managed to get out and find an alternative place to stay and that she would count her losses later.

"Thank u to all of you who reached out & encouraged me. To those who are still supporting me, I'm grateful," she wrote. 

"The rain has stopped and the water has subsided. We have managed to get out and have a place to stay. I'm neither scared nor panicking sai ni kuwa safe... I'll count the losses later..."

After the announcement of her safety, hundreds of Kenyans took to the comment section to wish her well, expressing their relief that she had found help.

"Glad you and the kids are safe... Please be careful next time. It shall be alright," X user Kamau Ndirangu said.

Gikonyo's plight underscores the horrors tens of thousands of Kenyans are experiencing as the country undergoes a severe flooding menace.

Already, the Kenya Red Cross has started moving families in Kitengela following floods which have affected the town.

In a statement, the Kenya Red Cross said several families had been affected along Deliverance Road, Balozi Road, Baraka Road, Blessed Court, New Valley, Changombe, and the KAG area.