Emergency aid after flooding in Kenya
In April 2024, heavy rain and flash floods in Kenya claimed more than 103 lives, displaced 150,365 people and affected a further 191,000. The floods had devastating consequences for many communities in the region.
The floods disrupted access to drinking water, waterborne diseases spread and damaged infrastructure made humanitarian aid harder to deliver. MAF was one of the first relief organisations on the scene and provided immediate support: on the one hand, reconnaissance flights were flown to assess the scale of the disaster; on the other, we used two Cessna 208 aircraft to fly urgently needed relief supplies from Nairobi to the villages cut off by the water.
One of our routes ran over the Chalbi Desert near Lake Turkana. Experienced MAF pilot Amos Simiu reports: “In all my time as a pilot I had never seen water in that desert. But back then the whole area was one big lake – water as far as the eye could see.”
The situation was especially dramatic in the village of Ileret, 810 kilometres north of Nairobi and unreachable by vehicle. Together with partner organisation “Sign of Hope”, MAF flew in 600 kg of vital cargo, including:
- Medical supplies such as cholera test kits, Aquatabs and rehydration solutions to fight cholera
- Blankets, sleeping mats and mosquito nets for 200 households
- Nutritional supplements and soap
Thanks to the practical and financial support of partners and institutions, the lives of many people in the affected areas were lastingly improved – and in some cases even saved.
