Lydia Barasa,a mother of five pleads for assistance from well wishers after her rental home was destroyed by the Strong winds on Friday….Photo/IP
By Alex Wekesa
LWANDANYI, Kenya (IP)
Heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds blew off the roof of Lwandanyi Health Center on Friday night, leaving patients exposed to cold conditions and disrupting services at the facility.
The incident occurred at around 9 p.m., forcing patients to endure a difficult night as the wind tore through the main block, scattering iron sheets across the compound.
By Monday morning, operations at the health center had stalled as staff and residents began collecting the debris.
Witnesses said most of the damage was concentrated on the main block, where iron sheets were extensively destroyed.
The maternity wing, however, was not affected.
Patients, some of whom had been admitted, were left without proper shelter overnight.
“We ask the county government disaster team to come on the ground and assess the damage,” said Butalia Joab, a local resident.
The strong winds also flattened boda boda shades and stalls belonging to small-scale traders, including mama mboga operators, at Lwandanyi market.
In addition, the house of Simon Fwamba Musima, a renowned barber at Lwandanyi trading center and James Kundu Kisongochi ‘s house were destroyed by the winds, further highlighting the extent of the damage across the area.
The latest incident comes barely two weeks after similar winds destroyed homes belonging to Jonah Musima and Hosea Woliko, also residents of Lwandanyi market.
The earlier storm also uprooted trees and damaged banana plantations.
Residents say the area remains vulnerable due to the prevalence of semi-permanent structures which are easily affected by heavy rains and strong winds.
“We advise residents to plant more trees to reduce the impact of strong winds,” Joab added.
Others called for improved construction standards to prevent future disasters.
“We advise residents to ensure the masons working on their houses are properly trained so that this doesn’t create disasters that may be fatal,” said Dennis Juma, a resident of Namawanga village on the outskirts of Lwandanyi trading center.
Health center management led by the chairman Peter Chemao has appealed to the county government and well-wishers for urgent intervention to restore services and repair the damaged facility.
