Over 100 households spread across the Katani, Airways, Kamulu, Githunguri and Syokimau areas in the Mavoko sub-county of Machakos who were rendered homeless by floods have been evacuated by the county government.
The ongoing heavy rains have caused significant damage in Mavoko, with some families marooned in their houses while others had their homes and businesses submerged.
Emergency response teams evacuated affected families to safer areas and provided them with food and non-food items.
Speaking during the rescue mission, the CECM for Lands, Housing, Urban developments, Roads and Transport, Nathaniel Nganga, warned residents against encroaching on riparian land after preliminary findings pointed to blocked waterways as the key cause of the flooding in Mavoko.
CEC Nganga called on Machakos residents and property developers to always seek approval from the Lands Office before initiating construction to ensure it is legal, safe and sustainable, thereby protecting the safety of future occupants.
“The current flooding is because the physical planning regulations were not followed; so when buying land, please do due diligence and thorough verification to ensure you do not end up acquiring riparian land,” Nganga warned.
Nganga further declared that the County government is set to deploy surveyors and building engineers to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the affected areas where structures found constructed along waterways will be marked for demolition.
“As a County we are going to enforce regulations and bring down all structures that have been erected on waterways,” added Nganga.
The Lands CECM also issued a stern warning to Land and Urban housing officers that they will face the full force of the law if they approve construction on riparian lands.
