The government has been asked to provide better information to families searching for relatives who died or went missing in Friday’s floods.

Speaking on Tuesday, activist Fred Ojiro of Vocal Africa called on authorities to set up a national toll-free line to help families trace missing relatives and get updates on postmortem examinations.

 “We want to make an appeal to the government to consider putting in place a national toll-free number, so families can find the whereabouts of their loved ones or get information on when postmortems will be done,” he said.

Postmortems are being conducted at  Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City Mortuary this week.  Ojiro said at least 15 examinations had been scheduled, but only eight would proceed after some families failed to show up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQLBa_S7DkI

Out of 26 bodies at the facility, only three postmortems were conducted on Monday. Eight more were scheduled for today.

The activists said postmortems cannot be conducted without family members present, urging relatives of the victims to come forward.

Among those being examined is Martin Akani, a boda boda rider who was swept away by floodwaters on Friday night. His friend, Maurice Nzau, said Akani was carrying a passenger to Eastleigh when rising waters overtook them.

“The customer managed to jump and walk back but our friend was swept by the water as he tried to save his motorcycle,” Nzau said.

Police later recovered the body and took it to the funeral home, where friends identified it on Sunday and notified the family.

Akani’s uncle appealed for help to transport the body to Kakamega County for burial, saying the family cannot afford the costs. “All we need is help because his family has no means,” he said.

The floods followed heavy rains forecast by the Kenya Meteorological Department.

The death toll from the floods as of Tuesday, March 10 has risen to 49, with Nairobi County recording the highest toll with 27 deaths, including 21 men, three women, and three minors.

The Eastern region reported 10 deaths, Rift Valley Region- four, and Nyanza Region- one.

Nine people remain missing; five in Nairobi, two in Narok, and one each in Baringo and Makueni Counties.

About two hundred and seven (207) people were injured, while more than 50,000 were displaced.  Authorities also reported the deaths of more than 607 livestock.

The disaster has raised questions about the government’s preparedness despite early warnings about the heavy rains.