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Hundreds left homeless as rains wreak havoc in Kisii

About four cases of drowning have been reported so far.

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by EMMANUEL WANJALA

News06 May 2023 - 15:12

In Summary


  • • Nyasasa in South Mugirango is the hardest hit. Disaster has pushed out at least 150 people from their homes.
  • • Dozens others moved out on Friday and Saturday to live with relatives as relentless rains pounded the region.
One of the houses that sank at Nyasasa area in South Mugirango following heavy rains.

Heavy rains have continued to cause havoc in most parts of Kisii County rendering hundreds of residents homeless.

Several villagers in Sameta and Bobasi reported mudslides on Thursday and Friday.

About four drowning cases have been reported so far.

Three were reported in Masaba South after three elderly people returning home were washed away.

At Riabigutu, one person was swept off a wonky bridge.

Nyasasa in South Mugirango is the hardest hit. Disaster has pushed out at least 150 people from their homes.

Dozens others moved out on Friday and Saturday to live with relatives as relentless rains pounded the region.

Calls for help, locals told the Star, have so far gone unanswered despite County Commissioner Tom Anjere touring the region a fortnight ago.

Henry Nyangeso, a local disaster volunteer, warned that desperation has set in. Anjere had promised affected families tents and food.

By Saturday, no deliveries had been made, Nyangweso lamented .

The situation continues to deteriorate in the surrounding villages with more houses sinking. At least 46 remain condemned after mudslides occured on Monday and Thursday.

Nyangeso said the house owners abandoned their animals and only return to check on them in the morning hours.

At least 23 houses have suffered huge cracks, instilling fear amongst villagers. Nyangweso said a few others were contemplating moving out as the fissures on the floors and walls grew bigger.

"We are in between a desperate situation that needs help and a county government that has largely remained aloof to our cries for rescue," said the disaster volunteer officer.

During an assessment on Saturday, at least 60 more houses were found unfit for habitation. Most of those who moved out are staying with their relatives.

"The hosts are also crying because whatever they had in terms of food has already been shared out. Most hurt are children," Josephine Kenyatta whose two houses caved in on Tuesday as they slept said.

"It is a miracle how we managed to get out to safety," she told the Star.

Two of her cows were unlucky, however, after a wall collapsed on them burying them alive. 

Norah Oyagi narrated how boulders tumbled down the cliff in the back of her house causing huge cracks on its walls. She, however, remains unfazed saying she cannot move out saying she has no where to go.

"We saw the County Commissioner, he came and comforted us and gave empty promises. We have not heard from any other government officer since," she told the Star at the scene.

The incidents at Nyasasa mirror the desperation and the plight of other residents across the devolved unit hurt by the flash floods.

Meanwhile, the situation continues to be fragile amid the long wait in other places like Nyamache Bobasi.

At Sameta area, mudslides are troubling the villagers. One child drowned on Thursday as he crossed a rickety bridge. The main road was halved by a gully.

Back at Nyasasa, a towering escarpment stares down on villages below where residents are struggling with warding off the effects of the harsh weather.

The soft grounds break and the boulders roll down into houses especially during heavy down pours, risking lives of the residents.

There had been little safety in brick houses as water has seeped through floors, weakening the foundation and walls.

Residents spoke of little aid coming their way from the county and national governments.

On Saturday, Nyangweso told the Star of the urgent need for food aid.

"Already, the government has stretched our people's spirit for hospitality in the face of little resources," he said.

Fears of an outbreak of waterborne diseases is also lurking around. Since the rains started, dozens of latrines have filled up with water and emptied their contents into springs and rivers.

"We cannot rule out disease break outs, I met a mother taking her child to hospital with fever and diarrhoea. We cannot rule anything out," Nyangweso said.

With school-going children still at home, it means more mouths to feed. Anjere had promised rice, maize and beans by Thursday.

"We still need tents, we are not out of the woods yet."

Abigael Onyando said it is high time the government comes to their rescue.

She said the loses they have incurred in the wake of every heavy rains season runs into millions.

"We had been seeing Red Cross rushing to other regions especially in Kisumu County's Nyando during floods to help people struck by misfortune, why not us here? Are we children of a lesser god?"she posed


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