Families evacuated after floods displace tens in Machakos

Structures erected on riparian land in Mavoko, Machakos county on April 29, 2026.

Tens of Machakos residents have been rendered homeless after being displaced by floods following the ongoing rains across the country.

Some were evacuated from their residences after getting trapped inside houses following the heavy downpour on Tuesday night.

Those affected had their houses submerged by storm water that destroyed property worth millions of shillings.

The flooded areas included Githunguri, Utawala, Katani, Airways, Kamulu and Syokimau, all in Mavoko, Machakos county.

The destroyed property included houses, farms, perimeter walls and businesses.

Machakos County Lands executive Nathaniel Nganga said over 100 households were affected by the floods in the Githunguri area within Muthwani Ward.

Nganga said that through Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s administration’s emergency response teams, they were able to evacuate victims to safe areas.

Those evacuated were also issued with material support after losing property to the floods.

However, Nganga noted that some of the affected victims were living in houses erected on waterways.

He accused them of encroaching on riparian land, thereby causing flooding in the areas.

He warned that as a devolved administration, they would not sit back and watch masses of residents suffer from the effects of flooding caused by a handful of people who have blocked waterways for their own personal interests.

“Yesterday evening, we, the County Government of Machakos, received a distress call from residents of Utawala, Airways and Kinka informing us of flooding in their houses. We have today inspected some of the sites, about five of them,” Nganga told reporters on Wednesday.

He said preliminary findings showed that some victims had either constructed houses or erected other structures in waterways.

“This is the last one we are inspecting today. As you can see, the house behind me is an ongoing construction site which has been erected on a waterway. The physical planning and regulations rules were not followed,” Nganga said.

He said the findings showed that this was the reason flooding was occurring in people’s houses.

The county executive said they would enforce relevant regulations and laws and demolish all structures erected on waterways and riparian land across the county.

He added that they had mapped such structures and issued instructions to relevant departments within the county government to ensure they were pulled down.

Parts of Katani and Syokimau were also affected by the floods, with some roads submerged following the heavy downpour.

The situation forced residents to wade through storm water as they went about their daily activities and forced motorists to drive on flooded roads.

Nganga said the county government would take stern action against illegal developments in these high-risk zones.

He added that Ndeti’s administration would deploy surveyors and building engineers to conduct a comprehensive assessment of affected areas.

Structures found to have been built on riparian reserves and along waterways would be marked for demolition in accordance with the law.

Nganga urged residents and developers to seek guidance and approvals from the county government before undertaking any construction to avoid such incidents in future.