- Lives have been lost as residents attempted to cross the river during the rainy season earning its name 'river of death'.
- Kawalase, is a dry river bed (seasonal) which is about 200 metres from Lodwar town on the A1 road that links Lodwar, Kakuma, Lokichogio, Nakadok and to Juba, South Sudan.
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
For many years, crossing river Kawalase in Turkana county was akin to a death wish.
Lives have been lost as residents attempted to cross the river during the rainy season earning its name 'river of death.'
Kawalase, is a dry river bed (seasonal) which is about 200 metres from Lodwar town on the A1 road that links Lodwar, Kakuma, Lokichogio, Nakadok and to Juba in South Sudan.
But when it floods, crossing the river is near impossible resulting in either death for the daring who attempt to cross over or losses for business people and truck drivers who are afraid to do so.
And now, residents have every reason to smile following the completion of a bridge that will help them safely cross the river.
Lazurus Loyanae, a former councillor in Lodwar says Kawalase river has a bad history but with the bridge in place, businesses will thrive as residents can now cross without risking their lives.
He said motorists have been killed while trying to cross the river and goods worth millions of shillings destroyed after being swept away by the raging floodwaters.
Last year in October, the Kenya National Highways Authority announced the implementation of development projects worth Sh2.8 billion in Turkana county.
The projects included the construction of the Lokichar-Nakodok road which is underway.
Kenya National Highways Authority deputy director in charge of East Africa Regional Transport and Trade Development Facilitation Project John Ndinika said the 338km Lokichar-Nakadok road is 60 per cent complete.
With the road works well over halfway through, residents have started reaping the fruits.
James Erupe, a truck driver plying Lodwar-Juba, South Sudan route says Kawalase river had often disrupted their businesses whenever it rains.
“Once the river overflows you can’t cross it, you have to wait for at least six hours for water to subside before crossing. But due to the nature of our work, truck drivers are always in a hurry to beat time and so many end up losing their lives while trying to cross,” he said, adding that construction of the bridge has eased movement.
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
Esther Ekidor, a fish dealer in Lodwar said before the construction of the bridge, they could not easily access fish from Lake Turkana when Kawalase river burst its banks.
“It’s hard to tell when Kawalase river will overflow and burst its banks because it’s a seasonal river. Sometimes we would go to get fish from Lake Turkana and get stuck on the other side because the river is flooded. This means you have to spend a whole day waiting for the water to subside before crossing. This in turn results in losses as you are unable to prepare fish for your customers on time,” she said.
Ekidor lauded the government for the construction of the bridge saying residents will benefit greatly from it.
However, as residents celebrate the construction of Kawalase bridge, Peter Ekai, a resident of Kawalase and also a diver, says they have lost a business opportunity.
Ekai says during the rainy season, they camp on the banks of the river and help residents cross at a fee.
“The government has done a great job constructing the bridge because so many lives have been lost here. However, we as divers depend on the river for survival. When it overflows, the business people have to pay us to help them cross over with their goods,” he said.
Last year, Turkana leaders led by Governor Josphat Nanok signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Kenha for the implementation of infrastructural projects.
The county agreed to waive levies and fees charged on materials for road construction.
“The agreement unlocked Sh2.8 billion funding as part of social corporate responsibility by the authority,” Nanok said.
The projects will be spread across all the region's six sub-counties. Nanok said leaders agreed to reduce the list of projects they wanted to be implemented for the projects to start.
“These few projects will have to undergo the technical estimation and costings to arrive at the final projects that will be procured and implemented. The projects are distributed in sectors including education, health, water and trade," he said.
Turkana South will receive Sh900 million, Turkana West (Sh700 million), Turkana North (Sh460 million), Turkana Central (Sh401 million), Loima (Sh276 million) and Turkana East (Sh262 million).
-Edited by SKanyara