The country is staring at yet another crisis of mudslides and flooding arising from heavy rains across the country.
At least 12 people have died in Chesogon on the West Pokot and Elgeyo-Marakwet county boundary. Tens of families have been displaced and forced to seek temporary shelter in schools.
And the environmental crisis is becoming pervasive. In Kericho, at least four people have been killed by a landslide that has occasioned massive devastation in its wake. Hundreds of families have been dispossessed and rendered homeless.
Lake Victoria Basin is becoming a danger zone. Experts have warned that the water levels on the lake are rising, causing backflow, which means flooding the shores and threatening to submerge homes and farms. The crisis is a consequence of years of mismanagement, where the water mass has been polluted and the lake bed filled with sediments and indissoluble elements.
The perennially flooded Kano plains, lower Nyakach and parts of southern Nyanza — which surround the lake — are drowned in ravaging waters from the Nandi Hills and Mau ranges. Down at the Coast, Tana River and Garissa counties are at risk as Tana River fills up, threatening to overflow and swamp the adjoining lands with disastrous consequences. Three dams on the river — Kiambere, Masinga and Kindaruma — are filled to the brim.
All indications are that the situation is bound to get worse in the coming days should the deluge continue. The country has a humanitarian crisis on its hands, adding to the coronavirus pandemic that has nearly locked down the economy.
Keeping the displaced people safe and with proper feeding and medication is a Herculean task. We are confronted with a monumental environmental challenge and humanitarian crisis.
Part of the reason for massive flooding and mudslides is decimation of vegetation due to human activities. Last year, this Group conducted two major investigations and published reports on the degradation of the country’s ecosystem.
First was the depredation of three rivers — Nairobi, Athi and Tana — whose waters flow onto the Indian Ocean. Second was Lake Victoria Basin, whose ecosystem stretches from the Mau Forest, itself pillaged through years of rabid and greedy exploitation.
For now, the urgency is to avert further environmental devastation. The meteorological department has warned of heavy rainfall in the coming days. Residents of lowlands and areas prone to flooding and mudslides must take heed and move to higher ground. The government should initiate emergency response to deal with these afflictions that compound the war on coronavirus.
