How victims of floods died, autopsy reveals as families recount their agony

Grief hung heavily in the cold corridors of the Nairobi Funeral Home as distraught families gathered, clutching photographs and documents, hoping for answers about relatives who vanished during last week’s devastating  floods in the capital, Nairobi. 

For many, the search that began in panic on Friday ended in heartbreak when they identified the bodies of their loved ones at the morgue.

The families narrated painful stories of how the raging waters swept away victims as they tried to navigate flooded roads and estates after heavy rains submerged large parts of Nairobi.

Nixon Muruga said the family had been desperately searching for his sister, a single mother who lived in Kawangware with her 11-year-old son.

She disappeared on Friday morning while heading to work. His kin's body would later be discovered at Uhuru Park on Saturday morning, held by a pipe. 

“She was swept last Friday after leaving work. It is not clear how she got carried away with the raging water,” Muruga said, explaining that they only began to fear the worst after learning about the widespread floods across the city.

The family launched a frantic search in hospitals and police stations before finally arriving at City Mortuary on Sunday morning. There, they showed officials her photograph.

“They told us two women had been brought in and one had already been identified. When we saw the other body, we realised it was our sister,” said Muruga. 

The victim was discovered swept away by floodwaters near a tunnel along her usual route to work, where she would board a vehicle near Panafric.

Muruga said the postmortem confirmed that water was found in her stomach and that she had no underlying illness, pointing to drowning as the cause of death. 

“She was a single mother. We are asking the government to help this child. How will he survive? How will he continue with school?” Muruga asked.

A similar tragedy befell the family of 18-year-old Philip Omondi, whose father, James Muga, recounted the terrifying final moments before his son disappeared in the floods.

According to Muga, Philip was in a private vehicle with his friend around T-Mall when they encountered fast-rising water on the road, leaving them stranded among stalled vehicles.

“They started calling us from around 8 pm saying the water was too much,” he said.

The family remained in contact with the young men for several hours as they pleaded for help.

“From eight o’clock, we were talking. They were shouting and asking for help. We kept calling until around midnight,” Muga said.

But the calls suddenly stopped. "His body was brought to the City Morgue at 4 am on Saturday."

“If people were monitoring and rescuing those stranded, maybe these young men would still be alive,” he lamented.

For Matano Mwakghu from Taita Taveta County, the journey to Nairobi ended in sorrow after he confirmed the death of his uncle, Mshila Ramadhan Matano, on Monday. 

According to Mwakghu, Ramadhan's body was discovered floating near a garage in South C, in stagnant water that flooded the area after the heavy downpour. 

“We found him on Monday. The postmortem shows he drowned after ingesting water,” Mwakghu said, adding that his uncle was identified using his National Social Security Fund card.

Autopsy conducted on the body of the victims revealed that they had significant amounts of water in the lungs and stomach, confirming they were swept away by fast-moving floodwaters.

"From the eight bodies today, seven are male, and one is female. The doctor has confirmed that all the eight bodies that were examined, all of them, the cause of death was asphyxial death due to drowning," said Vocal Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid. 

"The bodies also had some bruises here and there, mainly on the head. Of course, if the water takes you, the body is bound to hit obstacles along the way,' he added. 

He said that 12 other bodies are yet to be identified at the facility. 

Meanwhile, several families are yet to find their loved ones who went missing on Friday night.

They suspect their missing kin could be victims of the tragedy that has so far claimed at least 44 lives across the country. 

Millicent Bunde continued to search for her nephew, Erick Ooko Achola from Rarieda, who disappeared on Friday in the city centre.

Bunde said Achola had called his wife from the OTC bus stage, warning that floodwaters had filled the area. 

“He told her the water was rising and asked that the gate at home should not be locked because he would try to find his way back,” she said.

That was the last time the family heard from him.

Since Sunday, Bunde has been moving between Kamukunji Police Station, Central Police Station, and City Mortuary searching for answers.

Another family, led by Millicent Tuju, is still searching for her sister, who was a coffee vendor along Kirinyaga Road in the Grogon area.

“She left for work on Friday and never came back,” Tuju said, adding the woman’s son last spoke with her son at around 10 pm that fateful night before her phone went off.

“We have searched everywhere — Kenyatta Hospital, City Mortuary — but we have not found her,” she said.

They decried unresponsiveness from the Nairobi county government after it promised to waive the mortuary bills for the victims of floods.

"We are yet to receive help from the county. We are wondering why we are being asked for postmortem and mortuary bills," claimed Muga.