Edwin Sifuna has confirmed that several people lost their lives following devastating floods that struck Nairobi on Friday night after heavy rains pounded the city.
In a statement on Saturday morning, the Nairobi Senator revealed that the county disaster response team had informed him that multiple fatalities were recorded during the flooding incident.
“Sadly, the County disaster team has confirmed to me that multiple lives were also lost,” Sifuna said.
The floods caused widespread disruption across the capital, with major roads and neighbourhoods submerged as rainwater overwhelmed drainage systems. Many motorists and commuters were stranded overnight, with some forced to sleep in their vehicles or on roads as traffic came to a standstill in several parts of the city.
While expressing deep regret over the tragedy, Sifuna acknowledged that the flooding exposed serious leadership failures in the management of Nairobi.
“As part of the leadership in Nairobi, you will hear no excuses from me. Yesterday’s flood situation was an indictment,” he stated.
The Senator said the situation reflects a combination of systemic problems, particularly poor urban planning and ineffective drainage infrastructure that continues to leave the city vulnerable whenever heavy rains occur.
“We know it’s a sum total of many failures but mostly failures of leadership. We must do better because you don’t deserve this,” he said.
Sifuna also sympathised with residents who suffered losses due to the floods, including those whose homes and businesses were damaged and those who were stranded on roads overnight.
“For all those who slept on the roads and those counting losses from the flood damage, poleni sana,” he said.
He added that his office had already dispatched teams across the city to assess the damage and determine how best to assist affected residents.
“My office has sent out teams to assess the situation and see how we can help,” Sifuna noted.
The Nairobi Senator further called for a comprehensive review of the city’s drainage system, warning that temporary and piecemeal solutions have repeatedly failed to prevent flooding.
“It is obvious that we need a comprehensive review of how the city drains because the piecemeal interventions are not working,” he said.
Mr. Sifuna extended his condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones last night. Poleni sana,” he added.