Govt restores boat transport after Tana River tragedy, with strict conditions

The government has allowed private boat owners to ferry people across the flooded Garissa-Madogo road following a three-day suspension after a tragedy that has left at least seven people dead.

Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said on Tuesday that the transportation would be under the strict supervision of the police, led by both the Garissa Town divisional police commander (OCPD) and his Madogo counterpart.

A boat capsized in the Kona Punda area of Tana River County on Sunday as 43 people were taken across a flooded section of the road. It was after this incident that the government suspended transport by boat, one of the modes the people of Tana River County resorted to as heavy downpours and flash floods cut off roads.

The county commissioner told The Eastleigh Voice that to prevent cases of overloading, the vessels will carry a maximum of 10 people with luggage and 15 without.

Mohamed added that the boats would only operate between 7 am and 6 pm, that travellers' details would be taken by the police at a command centre, and that operators would provide safety jackets for all travellers.

The boat operators took advantage of the people's desperation, charging them Sh1,000 to Sh1,500 for the crossing. The cost had dropped to Sh300 by Wednesday and all passengers were in life jackets.

At Mororo, where the boat that capsized was headed, there was a heavy presence of police officers who controlled crowds and took down people's details: their names, ID numbers, next of kin, and contact information.

The 23 survivors of the accident were prioritised alongside people who had been stranded at Modogo, on their way to Wajir County, public servants, police officers, and people with emergencies to attend to.

Officials from the Kenya Navy and the Kenya Red Cross Society were also at the scene.

Meanwhile, three boats from the Kenya Coast Guard Service, the Red Cross, and the Tana River County government continued their search for missing persons, including six officially registered ones.

Following the Kona Punda incident, and several other tragedies across the country, the government on Monday gave Kenyans in areas prone to natural disasters 48 hours to move to safe locations, with the alternative being forced eviction.

Mohamed said, "We are appealing to our people to heed presidential directives to go to higher grounds so that they are not marooned by the floods."

The government has promised to offer accommodation, relief food and other supplies to all Kenyans affected by the floods.

The Govt has began a major RELIEF operations to help flood victims. pic.twitter.com/rSIGrHB063

— PS Kello Harsama (@harsama_kello) April 30, 2024

Kello Harsama, the principal secretary for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development, reiterated this on a tour of Madogo on Tuesday.

Kello also led a team of government officials in conducting an aerial assessment of the impact of floods in Garissa and Tana River. They witnessed firsthand effects including damage to farms and displacement from homes.

The PS told journalists in Madogo that the impact assessment mission would help identify victims' primary needs.

“Twenty-nine other counties are affected by the floods and they all need urgent interventions, including the supply of relief food," he said, adding that food and other essential items were on their way from Nairobi.

Kello Harsama, the principal secretary in the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, and other officials tour Madogo and Maroro in Tana River and Garissa counties on April 30, 2024, to support flood victims. (Photo: X/Kello Harsama)

Kello further announced that the government had activated disaster response committees headed by county commissioners in 32 worst-hit counties.

Several government officials have been sent to conduct assessments and oversee humanitarian interventions in these counties, he said.