Floods displace 10,000 families in Garissa, thousands more at risk

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOMonday May 11, 2026

IDPs from floodwaters from Bula Punda in Garissa are camping at the Police Training Centre./STEPHEN ASTARIKO

Families across Garissa County are facing a fresh wave of suffering after torrential rains and swelling waters along River Tana swept through villages, flattening homes, ruining farms and wiping out livelihoods in their path.

The Garissa County Steering Group says at least 10,000 households in Garissa Township have already been displaced, while more than 60,000 others countywide remain in danger as flood levels keep climbing.

The hardest-hit locations include Bulla Punda, Bulla Kamor, Bulla Sheikh, Bakuyu and Ziwani, where residents have fled submerged homes and packed into makeshift shelters.

Those displaced are now staying at the Farmers Training Centre (FTC), Hyuga and Police Training Centres as county authorities and humanitarian agencies scramble to contain the crisis.

Along the River Tana basin in Garissa and neighbouring Tana River County, many residents say flooding has turned into an annual ordeal, bringing losses every rainy season and little time to recover.

They point to a combination of local rainfall, heavy upstream rains and, at times, controlled releases from the Seven Forks dams as the forces behind repeated inundation and displacement.

At the FTC camp in Garissa Township, dozens of families are living in cramped temporary shelters with scant access to food, clean water and medical care.

One of them is Issa Malio of Ziwani village, who has spent the past week at the camp with six relatives after floodwaters engulfed their home.

“Our farms have been swept away and we lost almost everything, including clothes and household items,” Malio said.

He said conditions in the camp are grim, with leaking tents and a shortage of mosquito nets leaving children exposed to disease.

“When it rains, water enters directly into the tents. If there is no rain, mosquitoes become the problem. Our children are now sick with fever, diarrhoea and vomiting,” he said.

Malio called on the government and well-wishers to urgently deliver food, blankets, mosquito nets and cooking utensils to the affected families.

He also said insecurity and inter-community conflict in some parts of the county have discouraged many residents from moving permanently to higher ground, even as floods keep returning.

For Khadija Swale, another displaced mother, the crisis has gone beyond damaged homes and into the classroom, disrupting children’s education across the area.

“Our lives have become about moving from one place to another whenever floods occur. Even schools are affected because they also flood,” she said.

Swale also raised alarm over poor sanitation in the camps, saying families have no toilets and no proper system for disposing of waste.

Bakuyu village headman Abubakar Mohamed Ali said at least 200 households in his area alone have been affected, with hunger now emerging as the most urgent problem for displaced families.

“We have nothing to eat and we want the government to intervene quickly,” he said.

Humanitarian teams have stepped up assessments and evacuation work in the affected areas.

Garissa Kenya Red Cross coordinator Daud Ahmed said the organisation is carrying out a multi-stakeholder assessment to determine the full extent of the damage and identify the most vulnerable households.

“We will provide differentiated assistance to the most vulnerable households through food supplies, non-food items and hygiene kits,” Ahmed said.

He added that Kenya Red Cross teams were also helping evacuate families trapped by floodwaters and warned residents against farming along riverbanks because of the danger.

Last Thursday, Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku visited Garissa and said the government was mobilising emergency support for those affected.

“The government is setting up relief interventions, including food and non-food assistance, for all families affected by the floods,” Ruku said.

He said authorities were also looking into rehabilitation measures and possible compensation for affected households.

“We sympathise with the families affected and we will stand with them during this difficult period,” he added.

Despite the ongoing relief operations, anxiety remains high as water levels continue to rise, threatening to force thousands more families from their homes across the county.