As raging floodwaters unleash chaos across Kenya, a harsh reality has emerged the burden falls disproportionately on women and girls. While entire communities grapple with displacement and loss, the aftermath exacerbates existing gender inequalities, leaving women to bear the brunt of the crisis.
The floods have exposed the stark vulnerability of women. As the nation battles this natural calamity, a gender-responsive approach is imperative to address the unique challenges faced by women and girls.
Women bear the brunt of climate crisis but offer crucial solutions Im empty, I cant feel myself: The agony of a mother in a flood rescue centreIn Kiambu County, for instance, men affected by the floods seek adequate bedding and soap. By May 1, 2024, a total of 47 men were housed at Kahawa Wendani Primary School, but only seven mattresses were available for them.
Mutuku Wambua, one of the men flood victims from Kahawa Wendani and Kiuu wards, who is being hosted at the school, said that nearly all men sleep on the cold floor without blankets to cover themselves.
'The room does not even have lights. We sleep in the cold and in darkness,' he lamented.
He expressed frustration at their idle state, stating that all they want is money to relocate to a safe place and rebuild their businesses. Mr Mutuku used to sell second-hand clothes in Bosnia to sustain his family of three children, but all his merchandise was swept away.
The women housed at the school, on the other hand, desire porridge flour to cook for themselves, appropriate food for their weaned children, maternity pads, and sanitary towels. They also need warm clothes for their children, enough soap, and medicine, as their children are falling sick due to the congestion and poor sanitation.
'My baby has a fever. I'm so stressed, and I don't have money to take her to the hospital,' said Esther Wairimu, a mother to a seven-month-old boy. A community health promoter (CHP) walked into the room and provided her with a painkiller for the baby.
In Nairobi City County, at the Karanjo area of the Mukuru-Kayaba slum, Emily Mulwani said the floods have cut off access to Wakulima Market, where she collects her goods.
She is a mother of four, and every day she is out of work, she loses Sh2,000 in income.
'Through this business, I have raised my four children. Now, I have nothing,' she said in desperation.
In Kibra slums we met Nancy Shitikha. Her house is a shell of its former self. Four iron sheets now stand forlorn by River Ngong' in Kibera, Nairobi. The roof has collapsed, and stones and debris litter the muddy ground. The only remnant is a tattered white curtain hanging at the threshold.
'I've lived next to this river for 22 years. My six children and I know the gentle sound of the river flowing by heart. But on one particular night, it was different, it sounded like the angry beating of drums,' Nancy recalled. When she stood up to investigate, she realized her house was flooding.
The Nyumba Kumi leader woke her husband and children, and they hastily fled their home, carrying only the clothes on their backs.
'We moved uphill and watched in dismay as our houses, including the only toilet in the row, were swept away as the river currents got stronger. We spent the night at the bus station before a Good Samaritan offered us shelter.'
Agnes Mbatha, 66, whose house was flooded and uninhabitable, said that this is not the first time her home has been destroyed by Mother Nature.
'My house has been flooding during long rains since 2019, but even during El Nio rains, it wasn't this severe.'
When she woke up in the middle of the night to find her house flooded, she quickly gathered her belongings and sought higher ground.
Nancy, too, asked her husband to go live with his brother in Kabiria while she stayed behind with the children.
Jefferey Okoro, the Executive Director of CFK Africa, an organization working to rescue victims of floods in Kibera, said their rescue teams often find women and children standing in flooded houses. 'They tell us that the men leave to make money for the family, but the women are left to guard what is left. There is also a lot of insecurity, so someone has to stay to guard the home,' Mr. Okoro said.
Even if she wanted to leave, Nancy added, she would not manage. 'I can't afford to rent a house outside Kibera's floodplains.
