Nairobi — Five more people drowned in Garissa as the fate of 119 farmers reported missing in a marooned lagoon, remained unknown.

The five were confirmed dead after a dug out canoe a rescue team was using to evacuate marooned residents in submerged farms capsized in swirling waters.

The five bodies have not been recovered after the ill-equipped evacuation team shifted focus to saving lives rather than retrieving the bodies.

Central District Officer Mr Titus Kilonzi said five out of the 30 people rescued from the 72 farms in Jarirot area failed to make it to safety, and that the response team was yet to retrieve their bodies.

Hopes of rescuing marooned farmers appeared slim

He said 75 farmers including seven children were airlifted on Monday from the marooned farms after the canoes proved cumbersome and inefficient and the rescue team forced to paddle over a stretch of four kilometers on thorny trees to the farms.

"We just have to rely on the chopper because a two way trip to the farms takes roughly six hours and the canoes can only accommodate a maximum of five people yet we have more than 50 people waiting for help in the lagoon," Kilonzi said.

One of the divers Mr Abdua Abdi, said their priority was save the living to minimise the fatalities as much as possible.

And hopes of rescuing the marooned farmers appeared slim after heavy rains disrupted the operation with a police helicopter involved in the rescue unable to spot the victims due to poor visibility.

Mr Mohamed Garad, a survivor said his marooned colleagues were too weak to cling any longer to the trees after spending sleepless days without food and at times fighting off hungry crocodiles and hippos.

Civic leaders from the area insisted that about 120 farmers were still stranded in their farms and urged the Government to rescue them before they succumb to hunger and exhaustion.

Met warns of further floods

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has warned of further floods and landslides especially in the Central Highlands, Northern Kenya and the Coastal strip.

The forecast for next month shows enhanced rainfall that will lead to floods with Central, Eastern and Coast provinces bearing the brunt of the current torrential rains pounding the country.

A senior officer at the met department, Mr James Muindi, said the rains might go on until January.

He asked those residing in areas prone to landslides and floods to relocate to higher grounds. He cautioned those living on the hilly areas of Murang'a, Nyeri and Kirinyaga districts. Three years ago, five children of the same family were swallowed by landslide in Othaya, Nyeri District, as they slept in their home.

The three Central Kenya districts are prone to the phenomenon and in the past, lives and property worth millions of shillings have been lost.

Most parts of Western Province and the Rift Valley are likely to receive near normal or above normal rainfall, said Muindi.

Nakuru, Bomet, Kericho, Nandi, Eldoret, Samburu and Lodwar are predicted to receive enhanced rainfall starting from next month.