• An elder also cites the construction of intake for Parua Irrigation Scheme that was swept away by floods.
• A group of elders have asked the government to supply residents with trees so they can reclaim forests.
West Pokot residents have yet to come to terms with the landslide that left more than 50 people dead and hundreds of houses razed.
The sliding down of the mass of earth caused massive destruction. Residents and animals died. “Hills were flattened and you could not even tell that homesteads existed in the area,” elder Julius Loroma said.
Many organisations, individuals have donated food and non-food items to help victims. They include the Catholic Church, the Council of Governors, the government of China, Red Cross, World Vision, Safaricom, Al Khair Foundation, Action Against Hunger, Lions Club, Kape Matt, the KDF, the National Police Service, the county government and the Special Programmes department.
The Multi-Agency Team Shelter Assessment Findings Report indicated that 146 houses were completely wrecked and 82 partially destroyed and declared not habitable. They included 113 in Batei ward, 68 in Tapach ward and 47 in Weiwei.
Superstition
And as has been common with many tragedies that cause massive losses, the landslide also came with its fair share of myths. Some elders say settling on the hilly areas offended the gods as such areas were culturally reserved for them.
William Lopetakau said that when the intake for Parua Irrigation Scheme was being constructed on a cliff along River Muruny, elders requested that another site be used but their plea was rejected.
“It was believed by the elders that the site where the intake was being constructed was home for creatures living in the ‘second world’,” he said.
The elder said the day construction began, a woman was heard crying at night while climbing the cliff and asking the community why they had invaded her home.
“The woman was heard crying asking the community to stop destroying her home. The elders believed that spot was the home for ‘Ilate’ (the god of lightning),” Lopetakau said.
He said the contractor was told to stop the construction and look for an alternative place but he ignored. He said the project was later washed away by floods, a sign that the gods were not happy. “At the intake, no construction materials were left behind.”
Lopetakau urged young people to listen to them and stop ignoring their advice, which, he said, is for the common good of residents. “Let’s stop ignoring the aged. Let’s listen to the elders since the landslide was a result of ignoring the elders’ advice.”
Nyarkulian villagers and their elders also believe the landslide was an act of revenge. They linked it to an incident that occurred three years ago in which the community declined to have its daughter married off to Ilate.
But Samson Madio from Nyarkulian dismissed the myths, saying residents, having adopted Christianity, should ignore superstition. “The cause of the landslide was heavy rains that impounded the country. The floods never took place in this county alone. Most of the parts in the county experienced heavy rains,” he said.
Madio appealed to residents focus on conserving the environment and planting trees. Some elders share similar sentiments. They say deforestation could have been the cause. This was not the first time such a disaster had occurred.
Lokudosia Chepkerur from Sebit said landslides have been occurring in the county since 1960 but no deaths or massive destruction were previously reported. That year, it rained heavily for hours, accompanied by thunderstorms.
“The landslide occurred on the hills but there were many trees, hence the mud never reached the slopes where people lived,” he said.
The county had more trees and greater forest cover than it does now and that helped in controlling the speed of surface runoff. Many trees have since been felled and the forests left in ruins.
Despite citing myths, Lopetakau concurred that residents had encroached on forestland and this had loosened soil, hence making the region prone to hazards. He said residents had cut trees to settle and this had left the land bear.
In view of the changes, Chepkerur and fellow elders have called for a tree-planting drive so they can recover their lost glory. They have asked the government to supply trees so they can plant and reclaim the forests. Following the tragedy, efforts are being made to help victims and protect residents from future incidents.
Deputy President William Ruto had asked residents living in dangerous areas to move to safe places to avert more deaths. “An emergency team is currently mapping areas, which are unsafe and very soon we are going to evacuate people from the areas,” he said.
Ruto said the government is committed to ensuring people are safe.
County commissioner Apollo Okello urged residents to stop cultivating slopes and instead use the huge tracts of virgin lowlands.‘We’re educating people to stop cultivating on slopes of hills and let the areas for the government to plant trees to help in averting such incidents in future,” he said.
Governor John Lonyangapuo urged Safaricom to ensure its network covers the whole county so emergencies can be reported for swift responses.
“In areas where we lost many people, there was no network coverage to alert people to move to the safe sides when the incident occurred,” he said.
The county is largely hilly and that hinders rescue efforts. Lonyangapuo appealed to victims to be patient as the government makes plans to resettle them.
“The resettlement phase is very tricky and slow and requires a lot of understanding since many people will come claiming they were affected. We have a team carrying out assessment and we shall resettle them soon,” he said.
The governor said they have done cost estimation and they will have to spend Sh108,500 on each house. Lonyangapuo called on the government to speed up construction of the affected bridges so residents can get services.
“Most services have been grounded since we cannot move. The government should find a possible solution as soon as possible,” he said.
The county boss said the county needs more than Sh2 billion for reconstruction. But Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna (Rtd Col) said the government needed more than Sh20 million to repair damages caused by downpours.