Francis Wambugu Irungu Heavy rains that pounded Mwea West Sub-County in Kirinyaga County overnight have triggered devastating floods, leaving scores of families homeless and causing widespread destruction across multiple villages in Mutithi and Thiba Divisions.
The flooding, which struck on the night of Saturday, April 26, 2026, ravaged Labour Village and Ng’othi areas within the sublocation, catching many residents off guard as surging floodwaters inundated homes, farms, and access roads.
Dozens of families have been displaced after several structures were either completely destroyed or submerged by the rising waters. Residents were forced to abandon their homes in the dead of night as floodwaters swept through their neighbourhoods, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The disaster has also dealt a severe blow to food security in the region, with crops submerged under water across vast tracts of agricultural land, a particularly painful blow for Mwea West, an area heavily dependent on farming. A number of livestock also perished, adding to the economic losses suffered by affected households.
Among the hardest-hit areas are Jambo Vile and Kirima villages in the Thiba division, as well as Ng’othi and Labour villages in Mutithi. In Wamumu, residents of Gotomboya, Kimuri, and Kiandegwa villages also bore the brunt of the floods, while Gatuiri village in Ciagiini was equally affected.
Relief and rescue efforts have been hampered by the state of local roads, which have been rendered impassable by the flooding, making it extremely difficult for emergency responders and government officials to reach the affected communities.
Local authorities have confirmed that a follow-up assessment is currently underway to establish the full extent of the damage, with officials expected to compile a comprehensive report on the human, structural, and agricultural losses recorded across all the affected villages.
Residents and community leaders are calling on the national and county governments to urgently deploy relief assistance, including food, shelter, and emergency supplies, to the displaced families as the region braces for continued rains.
The incident is the latest in a series of flood-related disasters to hit low-lying areas of Kirinyaga County during the ongoing long rains season, raising renewed concerns about the need for long-term flood mitigation infrastructure in the region.
