By Correspondent | Wajir Today | Sunday, 9 November 2025

Garissa town residents are reeling from heavy losses after a powerful early morning downpour turned streets and homes into rivers of muddy water.

The rains, which began around 4 a.m. on Sunday, pounded the town for hours, flooding homes, submerging businesses, and paralysing movement in most parts of the town.

By sunrise, a number of  neighbourhoods were under water. Some roads became streams, while traders and families scrambled to save whatever they could from the deluge.

A walk through the town’s neighborhoods such as Iftin and Bula Punda revealed scenes of despair where residents waded through knee-deep water in some places.

Rashid Aden, an affected resident, accused the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) of negligence and poor supervision of contractors who often fail to provide drainage outlets.

“I want to single out KURA for blame because all along we know whenever such a project is done, they must be there to ensure that the standards are maintained. They give out contracts, but no one follows up to see if the work is done properly. If they were serious, we wouldn’t be in this mess every rainy season,” Rashid said.

In Iftin, a distraught mother, Diana Achieng, stood outside her flooded house with her three young children, unsure where to go next.

“As you can see my house is completely submerged in flood waters. I am here standing with my three young children not knowing what to do or where to go,” she said.

Diana’s frustration mirrors that of many residents who say the town’s poor drainage system is to blame. Despite years of complaints, little has been done to fix the problem.

Nearby, Josephine Mbandi tried to salvage her household items from the waterlogged mess, blaming shoddy roadworks for worsening the flooding.

“We are where we are because the contractors working on this particular road failed to provide adequate drainage channels, resulting in stagnant water and frequent flooding whenever it rains,” Josephine said.

She said it was unacceptable for residents to suffer the same fate year after year while authorities look away.

“Will the relevant authorities come and fix this problem that they created or we will be left on our own like has always been the case?” she added.

Her words echoed across the town, as many vented anger at agencies responsible for road and drainage works.

The floods have destroyed property worth thousands of shillings, leaving traders counting huge losses.

Stalls were submerged, food items spoiled, and stock washed away. Traders were seen using buckets to scoop out water from their shops.

Businessman Ali Ismail said the flooding had become a seasonal nightmare that no one in government seemed serious about solving.

“This downpour has once again exposed our town’s vulnerability to flooding, a recurring problem that residents say has been ignored for far too long. Every rainy season we must be affected,” said Ismail.

He faulted both the county and national governments for inaction despite repeated promises.

“The people we expect to fix the problem seem unbothered while we continue to suffer. Time has come for people to get serious with their jobs because we pay taxes and deserve better services,” he said.

As skies cleared later in the morning, many residents were left staring at their destroyed belongings, wondering how they would rebuild.