Villages on edge as widening gorges cut through farms

You easily notice it from afar. A mud-walled house perched on the edge of a massive gully.

This is the sight that welcomes you, as you approach the Kipsigak-Serem-Shamakhokho road, in Hamisi Constituency, Vihiga County.

One would confuse its owner for a daredevil living an adventurous life on the edge of the Rift Valley.

But no, Fredrick Nyenze Boda, 45, the owner of the house, is just an ordinary villager in Shamakhokho.

He was forced to move into his father’s house, a few meters away, to avert a catastrophe that seems to be snaking nearer each passing day.

His father, Wilson Lugano, 72, continues to count the losses he has suffered over the years, courtesy of a deep, long and wide gully, that continues to split its way through his farm.

His once productive farm, once rich with red volcanic soil, has now been split down the middle by the enormous crack.

“Previously, we used to grow tea, bananas and maize, among other crops that brought us an income, but not any more. This land is no longer productive,” laments Mzee Lugano.

A few metres from his farm lives Eznah Khavere, a disabled middle-aged woman. Hundreds of her tea bushes continue to be swallowed by the ever-deepening gorge.

“A huge chunk of our land has been consumed, and with it, up to 1,200 tea bushes,” complains Khavere’s brother, Timothy Ayodi.

Victor Mwanga lives nearby. Part of his farm has also been swallowed, and in the process, he has lost many trees.

Also, a small water reservoir that once stood on his land has dried up due to the clogging from the silt washed down by the rain.

According to the residents of this area, the problem began as a simple case of soil erosion, caused by run-off water from the road finding its way through their farms.

But over the years, the small trench has grown into a huge gully. The gully has growing deeper, wider and longer at an alarming rate.

Safety hazard

That’s not all. The area has become a safety hazard. For Evans Shironye, when it rains, the water from the road flows to his compound, soaking it and the ground becomes weak. “We fear staying here because there’s a danger of the valley sinking deeper and burying us in the process.”

“We are lucky that no one has died as a result of this environmental disaster, but it’s only a matter of time before the worst happens,” adds Shironye.

He recalls a few weeks ago when a young man fell into the deepest part of the gully, as he was being chased by the police. “He broke his legs in the process,” he adds.

According to the locals, it all began in the late nineties with the construction of the Shamakhokho–Serem road.

But as scary as it may sound, this is nothing compared to yet another gigantic gully on the other side of the county. This one is in Madira, on the Bukuga-Magada road.

For years, the huge gully has been the source of worry for the family of Oliver Endoho, 32.

The family house is just a few metres from the edge of the massive ravine, while part of their farm continues to sink, taking with it crops they have worked for years to grow.

The scene in the home’s backyard is terrifying. A massive gully runs tens of feet deep, and just as long in width and length, eating up part of their farm, and soon, the house.

“This is so bad that we can no longer walk freely within our compound. We were even advised by officials from the department of Agriculture not to farm around this area because ploughing weakens the ground, a fact that has paralysed our source of income,” he says.

Next to the farm lies an abandoned school, with the gully snaking its way behind some classrooms.

The same fate could befall Madira Girls’ High School, across the road. Already, the gully is showing signs of cracking its way through the road, and for it’s not a matter of if, but when, it will engulf not just the road, but also the school.

Again, the nightmare began a few years ago, immediately after the completion of the construction of the Bukuga-Magada road, says Endoho.

“After the completion, suddenly the storm water started draining into our farm. As time went by, the soil became very loose and every time it rained, the ground was buried and continued sinking and being steep,” he says.

The villagers in both situations have tried to come up with interventions to stop the gullies from expanding.

“At the beginning, we tried packing sandbags and placing them in the shallow cracks, but as more rains came, they were washed away,” says Endoho.

In Shamakhokho, hundreds of bamboo trees have been planted on the edge of the gully and some seedlings have been planted inside the ravine to control soil erosion and stabilise the soil.

“Though to some degree, our efforts have paid off, whenever it rains, the strength of the run-off water has been overwhelming, sweeping our plants downstream,” says Mwanga.

Environmental disaster 

So what exactly is happening here? According to the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra), the gullies are directly related to road construction.

“The gully in Shamakhokho developed as a result of road works carried out in 2006 on the Kipsigak-Serem-Shamakhokho road, which was then under the purview of the Ministry of Roads,” explains Kerra Director General Philemon K Kandie.

Other factors contributed to the disaster.

“The Shamakhokho gully mainly developed because of the terrain, which is a steep gradient and the nature of soil, which is loose red loam soil, as well as the heavy rainfall, which is received most of the year in that area. On the other hand, Madira has loose soil and it is swampy, so the area, unfortunately, is the only collection point for storm water, which comes from the Bukuga market and Muhanda area, resulting in the deep gullies,” adds Kandie.

But this then raises the question: Were the environmental and social safeguards taken when the road projects were being implemented?

According to the Vihiga County director for Nema Hesbon Monda, the current situation is an imminent environmental disaster.

Mwanga, who is also an environmentalist, says, other than interfering with the topography, there was a problem on the direction of the run-off water.

“A culvert had been constructed on private land, but then it clogged, so water started flowing through the tarmac road, and eventually was finding its way through the private land. As the years went by, the run-off water continued to flow through this land, weakening its path,” he adds.

Dr Jasper Omwenga, former Nema county director, Vihiga, says drainage is the main issue in the area.

“For the Shamakhokho case, water running beside the road is supposed to be drained in bits, but in this case, the storm water runs over two kilometres and is disposed of through a single exit, which is likely to cause an impact,” explains Omwenga.

Kerra also attributes this challenge to other social activities such as farming and construction.

“The problem has been made worse by an increase in the number of structures sprouting within the area. A lot of construction is going on and there are buildings sitting on culverts. There are also no systems put in place to harvest run-off water,” states Mwanga.

Remedial Measures

For now, Kerra says it has taken note of the situation, and is providing remedial measures.

“In Shamakhokho, there is an ongoing project currently in the same area, where the resident engineer has instructed the contractor to carry out protection works to stop any further erosion in the area. This should be done as an emergency and immediately,” says Kandie.

“As for the case in Madira, since the gully developed as a result of an old road project, Kerra is seeking intervention from the Nema and the local Department of Forests offices to address the issue. Conversations are ongoing to ensure that the right protection works are carried out to stop further damage in the area, as well as seeking the necessary funding to carry out these measures,” he adds.

And according to Richard Boiyo, chief officer of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources in Vihiga County, the gullies cannot be approached from one end.

“Restoration could require millions of shillings, subject to the engineers' estimation, thus it requires a multi-sectoral approach. We have to sit and come up with how to approach the situation,” he explains.

Kandie indicates that the authority is working together with the County Commissioner’s office and the regional Nema office to ensure the community is on board to grant access to the affected area, and also for compliance as per Nema regulations.

In the meantime, with every drop of rain, these residents are fearful that it’s not a matter of if, but when their homes, as well as their livelihoods, will be swept away. However, despite the danger they face, they have no intention of leaving their homes.