By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: More than 6000 families Budalangi in Busia County have been displaced by floods. Bunyala South in Budalangi is currently affected by flooding due to the heavy rains.
Residents of Mau Mau, Rukala, Bulwani, Mudimbya A and B villages in Bunyala South are most affected as water levels continue to rise. The flooding has been attributed to a water backflow from Lake Victoria.
The affected families say that they have nowhere to go as the level of water keeps on rising every moment. They are calling upon the government to come to their rescue.
“We have nowhere to run to. The water from the lake has surrounded us. The call to the government to address the problem is futile so far, we have not seen any government officials come here,” said Joseph Odongo, a victim of the floods.
The area Member of Parliament Raphael Wanjala has blamed the siltation of rivers that drain Lake Victoria to be the cause of the backflow since water does not floor smooth into the lake.
Wanjala says river Nzoia, Ndekwe,Obaro, and river Yala are blocked with sand and soil as it enters the lakes making it hard for the water to proceed to the lake. This water finds its way easily back to the mainland.
“These rivers are full of soil and sand at their mouth making it hard for the water to proceed to the lake and in return it easily find its way back to people’s homes,” he said.
“Four kilometerS in the lake you can still feel the sand but few meters on the mouth of these rivers from the point in which they enter the lake it is too deep, which is an indication that the water is unable to flow into the lake” he added.
The Member of Parliament noted that he has informed devolution ministry, ministry of water and ministry of interior about the floods requesting them to send the dredger to clear the silt at the mouth of the said rivers.
“Now that the said departments have money allocated for disaster management and the drencher is in Kisumu, it is better they bring the machine here, clear these rivers to save us from these calamities,” he said.
Wanjala says the lower Nzoia project will not be effectively implemented if these rivers will still be causing backflow which will eventually sweep away dykes.
“The lower Nzoia project that is going on in Bunyala may not be effective if these rivers are not opened up to allow the flow of water to the lake. The weatherman has predicted that the rain will be here soon. This is something to worry about. If the problem is not addressed, the water will sweep away these dikes leaving our people more vulnerable to floods.”
According to them, Musoma primary and secondary school, Mau Mau town are among the areas that are highly affected by the floods adding that the only thing the government can do to address the problem is to clear these rivers.
Wanjala challenged the county government of Busia for failing to respond to such calamities questioning where the county government takes its two percent money allocation for an emergency in the county.
