It is one of the most heart-warming scenes at Ngeya Girls Secondary school.

Inside these classes that have been converted into makeshift homes for families affected by flash floods that rocked Maai Mahiu on Monday morning, we find a group of children playing with legos.

The giggles emanating from this corner splash a little hope inside a room full of sadness and gloom.

Ni Mungu tu : House left standing in Maai Mahiu tragedy

In here, families that had their own homes are now homeless after the angry waters flattened their houses, carrying with it all their possessions.

Loice Njeri holds her two-year-old daughter at Ngeya Girls Secondary school on May 1, 2024.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

"I have now been here for the last three days and I can say that we are doing well. We have been taken through a lot of counselling," Loice Njeri tells Mtaa Wangu.

She is holding her two-year-old daughter close to her chest staring into the vast space in front of her.

I ask her about the children playing in the background to which she answers," Our children have a play section where they get to interact with other children just to help them keep their minds off things."

Like the other people at this rescue centre, Njeri has no idea how long she will stay at this school.

Read: President Ruto promises to rebuild homes of Maai Mahiu flood victims as death toll rises to 48

A few metres from Njeri, we meet Beatrice Janga, also a victim of the tragic floods. Janga reveals that the different agencies at the rescue centre have tried to give them a normal routine from the time they wake up, to late in the night.

One of the classrooms where victims of flooding are sleeping in at Ngeya Girls Secondary school on May 1,2024.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

"The men and women have different sleeping areas and we have all been provided with mattresses and blankets. In the morning we get to shower and have a change of clothes," she narrates.

Mtaa Wangu spoke to Irene Njeri, a community counsellor who says that they are trying as much as possible to help and guide the families through this difficult time.

An arial view of Ngeya Girls Secondary school which has been converted to a rescue centre hosting families affected by floods in Maai Mahiu.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

"One main thing we have noticed is that the children are being shielded from the reality of the matter. However, we are encouraging the parents to let the children understand what has happened so that it is easier for the children to cope with the issue," she said.

Related: County government to pay hospital bills for all victims of Maai Mahiu tragedy

Outside the classrooms, the school is a buzz of activity with different agencies around to assist the families.

Officers from different agencies converge at Ngeya Girls secondary school to receive victims of flooding on May 1, 2024.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

Mtaa Wangu spotted officers from the Kenya Defence Forces dispensing medical supplies to the families.

KDF officers take stock of medical supplies at Ngeya Girls Secondary school on May 1, 2024.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

There was also a guidance and counselling tent which seemed to attract majority of the people.

A multiagency team undertakes a search and rescue mission on May 1, 2024 following flooding in Maai Mahiu.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

Outside this safe haven, tractors continue to dig through mud, in hopes of retrieving bodies of the loved ones that are yet to be found.

bretsanya@gmail.com

Experts reveal devastating impact of Maai Mahiu tragedy on agriculture

Author Spotlight

Leleti Jassor