Wednesday 06th May, 2026 05:54 PM|
The Kenya Red Cross has issued an update on the state of two farmers previously reported to have been stranded by rising River Tana floodwaters.
In a report on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the Red Cross confirmed that the two farmers had been safely rescued in Saka Location, Balambala Sub-County.
“Two farmers stranded by rising River Tana floodwaters have been safely rescued by our team in Saka Location, Balambala Sub-County,” the Red Cross announced.
According to the reports, the Red Cross deployed a speedboat with responders that brought them to safety.
“As waters crept higher and the threat of drowning, alongside hippo and crocodile attacks in the floodwaters, became real and imminent, our responders deployed a speedboat to bring them to safety,” the team narrated.
Garissa, Tana River Dam levels surge
The Red Cross remarks come five days after the Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, warned of flooding risk in Garissa and Tana River Counties.
At the time, Mwaura confirmed that as of the evening of April 28, 2026, at around 20:00 hours, Masinga Dam was reported as full, prompting controlled water releases to prevent damage.
He noted that the developments have heightened the risk of flooding downstream, particularly in Garissa and Tana River counties.
However, the government, through the National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) and relevant agencies said that it continues to closely monitor the situation while coordinating preparedness and response efforts.
In addition, residents in low-lying areas, especially in Garissa and Tana River counties, are strongly urged to move to higher ground immediately to protect lives and property.
Local authorities and community leaders were called upon to widely disseminate the information and facilitate safe evacuations as necessary.
Similarly, Kamburu, Gitaru and Kindaruma dams have been actively regulated to maintain safe operational levels.
These measures are critical to safeguard the structural integrity of the dams, especially given the substantial inflows from the Aberdares and Mount Kenya regions.
At the same time, the government has announced that Kiambere Dam will begin spilling within the next five days due to continued inflows.
