Kisumu City was hit by a fierce storm on Thursday. Heavy rain and strong winds swept through the city, tearing off rooftops, knocking down billboards and leaving several vehicles damaged. The downpour did not last long, but it was enough to leave a mark on the city.
Along the Jomo Kenyatta Highway, a billboard was blown over by the wind and crashed onto cars parked nearby. Over at Obote Road, part of the roof and a section of wall at Jumbo Steel Mills hardware were also damaged. Many residents were caught off guard by how quickly the wind picked up, and shopkeepers spent the evening trying to assess what had been lost.
One resident, Mary Owino, said the wind was the worst part of the whole thing. In her view, it was strong enough to pick up loose items and bring down weak structures. She said the rain itself was short, lasting less than 30 minutes, but it came down hard and with a lot of force.
Kisumu County Commissioner Ramadhan Mwabudzo says the incident has raised serious questions about how safe many structures in the city are. He pointed out that most of the buildings affected were old, and many of them sit close to newer developments. He says the county administration, working together with the city planning department, will now carry out inspections to find out which buildings and billboards can stand up to extreme weather.
Mwabudzo also said the county will look at the drainage system in the city. Even though there are ongoing works meant to improve drainage and reduce flooding, he believes more needs to be done to make sure the city can handle heavy rains during the rainy season.
For now, he is urging landlords and tenants to check their buildings before the rains get heavier. He says nobody wants poorly maintained structures to hurt tenants, customers or anyone passing by. As the rainy season picks up, property owners and city residents alike will be watching closely to see whether the county moves from talk to action.
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