Floods from Uganda displacing families in Turkana
Kawalase river, is a six feet deep seasonal river swallowing Napetet village in Lodwar.
What you need to know:
- The floodwater that was more than five feet deep submerged more than 100 houses.
- “Usually, the water level would be no more than two feet high and would subside just after two hours, but it appears that the river flooded at night after the heavy rain,” Agnes Akuwom 45 says.
For more than two decades, Agnes Akuwom, 45, and her husband John Kebo, 51, have called Tobong’u Loree village home.
The couple has sired eight children with the firstborn daughter already married with two children.
Their home though 100 meters from the banks of seasonal Kawalase River that draws most of its water from slopes of hills and mountains in neighbouring Uganda’s Karamoja region, has never flooded to such a point that they have had to move out.
“We have always relocated to higher ground at Nataparikakono primary school and return after water levels subside. However, on Saturday at around noon, Lodwar town and its environs had not experienced rainfall for two days but floods from the river swallowed up several houses including ours,” Ms Akuwom narrated.
The floodwater that was more than five feet deep submerged more than 100 houses. Villagers who had been on high alert salvaged some of their property.
“Usually, the water level would be no more than two feet high and would subside just after two hours, but it appears that the river flooded at night after the heavy rain,” she added.
The couple, together with other 197 families, occupy a camp established by the Kenya Red Cross (KRS) and the Turkana County government at an unoccupied rehabilitation and counselling centre for people affected by alcohol and drug abuse in Nataparikakono village.
The Nation team found her mid-Sunday morning preparing black tea for her family outside her tent as she waited for relief food to be trucked in.
“As a family, we have decided to relocate from our ancestral home where my parents were buried. I plead with the government to get us a sizeable land where we can rebuild our lives because going back will be a death sentence for us,” Mr Kebo said.
One of the affected permanent residence in Napetet village in the outskirts of Lodwar town that has partly been swallowed by the widening Kawalase river on April 29, 2024.
He said they are tired of moving in with relatives and/or friends whenever the river gets flooded but this time round they resolved not to.
“At the camp, we were counselled by Kenya Red Cross staff over our decision and even though we don’t have a reliable source of food or even mosquito nets, we were assured of support with time,” Mr Kebo added.
The Nation also found Asha Ajikon who has decided never to return to her ancestral home. He weaves together a patchwork of cement bags to forge an additional tent for her temporary structure that has to accommodate her family and all her belongings.
Ms Hellen Arika constructing her temporary house at Nataparikakono camp in Lodwar on May 5, 2024 after floods from river Kawalase displaced her family.
Deputy Governor John Erus confirmed that three people have died as a result of floods across the county, 1,381 livestock lost and over 1,400 people displaced.
“We have identified three potential sites in the county where with support from the national government and development partners we intend to relocate all people affected by floods after proper verification,” Dr Erus said.
He warned residents against returning to their marooned homes as they lie on a riparian zone - near seasonal rivers Kawalase and Tarach as well as Turkwel River that will definitely flood in case Turkwel Hydroelectric Dam fills up.
Ms Asha Ajikon weaving a tent from used cement bags to make a big temporary house for her family and their belongings at Nataparikakono camp in Lodwar on May 5, 2024.
“We will ensure that the displaced people get access to basic health services through mobile medical outreaches, dignity kits, water through our trucks, and their children get playing and educational materials,” Dr Erus said.
Turkana County Government has provided 100 bags of maize and 20 cartons of vegetable oil (100 litres apiece) to the affected households.
In addition to the food distribution at Nataparkakono village, the County Government through the Directorate of Disaster Risk Management has been conducting daily assessments across the high-risk 156 villages.
The County Government is working with Welthungerhilfe and Unicef through the KRS to support displaced households with non-food items in Nataparkakono, Lokangae, Todonya’ng, Kerio Delta, and Kalapata.
Turkana Deputy Governor Dr John Erus assisting a victim of floods at Nataparikakono village in the outskirts of Lodwar town to pull a sack of maize after leading a relief food distribution exercise on May 5, 2024.
Lodwar Township MCA Ruth Kuya called on the County Government to provide all victims of the flooding with food and appoint health officers to attend to them to reduce potential health hazards. She also urged the community to use the provided toilets to minimise the risks of cholera through contamination.
Kenya Red Cross Society Coordinator for Turkana County, Rukia Abubakar emphasised the need for continued joint assessment and community sensitisation on risks associated with floods.
