State 'not doing much' to address our issues, Garissa farmers

Farmers from Garissa have accused the government of doing little to address their issues, as well as find a permanent solution to the perennial floods menace.

The El Nino rains last year coupled with heavy rainfall between April and May caused the River Tana to break its banks. 

All farms along the river were fully submerged by flash floods, leading to losses amounting to millions.

There are a total of  3,000 group farmers practising farming along the river, and 290 farms, in the four sub-counties of Garissa, Balambala, Bura and Masalani.

The farmers are calling on the government to come up with a sustainable project to end the frequent flooding along River Tana.

Hundreds of farmers, who staged peaceful demonstrations in Garissa town, visited the county commissioner and the governor’s offices to air their grievances. 

Since October last year, the farmers said they have harvested nothing due to floods which completely destroyed their farms.

Some of the crops grown are watermelon, pawpaw, bananas, mangoes, tomatoes, onions, bitter lemon and on a smaller scale kale and spinach.

Led by the Garissa Farmers’ Network chairman Abdirahim Farah, they proposed a raft of measures that the government could adopt to alleviate their plight. 

The farmers called for the construction of mega dams and drill canals from River Tana to relieve the water body. 

“We need both the county and national governments to come up with a plan so that we can work together because this flooding issue is not an accident but something that we expect each year and we need to be prepared,” Farah said.

They also asked the government to build a strong wall along the river or expand it.

“There is a need to find a way of diverting the excess water that is causing floods. We can build a canal that can take this water to a storage dam for use even by our livestock during dry seasons. We have seven dams from Mt Kenya to here but they are still not enough to stop flooding here,” he added.

The farmers also called on the state to expedite their compensation, saying they lost everything to the floods, including pumping machines.

Abdullahi Abdi, a member of the farmers’ network said  apart from their crops, farming equipment were also swept away by floods.

“We are calling on the government to establish an emergency fund that will be readily accessible during such disasters and also create a compensation policy for farmers whose only livelihood is their crops,” he said.

Abdi said even though the floodwaters have subsided in some farms, the soil was also swept away and a lot of money is required to prepare the land for planting again.

Another farmer, Hussein Said, said he wondered whether the government will ever keep its word and compensate them.

“As I am speaking to you I am counting huge losses. My three farms of 15 acres that had water crops like watermelons, pawpaw, tomatoes and mangoes that were ready for harvest have been completely destroyed. 

“Now in such a case where am I supposed to start? How do I pick the pieces and go back to the farm when I don't have anything. My 3 water pumping generators were all destroyed by the flood waters. Amid all this the government is not saying anything,” he added.