Residents of Witemere in Nyeri defy order to leave village ahead of El Niño downpour

A view of Witemere Village in Nyeri County where over 300 families have been ordered to move to higher grounds ahead of the El Niño rains. Residents have defied the order saying they fear being evicted from their homes. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The villagers, whose children are sitting their national examinations, said they fear being evicted from their homes.
  • They said the Sh4,000 they have been offered by the government is too little and cannot sustain them.
  • Deputy County Commissioner Kaburu Kaimba said some residents had moved as instructed by the county.
  • He said the authorities want to ensure the families are not swept away by floods.

Residents of Witemere Village in Nyeri, which is prone to landslides, have defied an order to leave the area ahead of the El Niño rains.

The villagers said the Sh4,000 they have been offered by the government is too little and cannot sustain them.

Some of the villagers complained that the government had not allocated them alternative land to occupy for the next three months.

They said they have nowhere to go.

One of the residents said the government had promised to give the affected families Sh4,000 each and a handcart to help them transport their luggage.

BASIC NEEDS

“It’s sad that the government is offering us only Sh4,000 to cater for all of our needs for the next three months. That money cannot even cover our basic needs,’’ he said.

The villagers, whose children are sitting their national examinations, said they fear being evicted from their homes.

They said the children are not revising properly due to the uncertainty of their fate.

Ms Susan Kaweru, a resident, told Nation.co.ke that the villagers would remain put unless they are allocated alternative land.

“After the order to leave was issued, we have not been engaging in casual work as we do not know when our houses will be demolished,” said Ms Kaweru.

SCHOOLCHILDREN

She said schoolchildren will be inconvenienced if the residents leave the village.

The affected residents said they had forwarded their names to the authorities and cited the problems they are facing but no solution had been provided.

However, Deputy County Commissioner Kaburu Kaimba said some residents had moved as instructed by the county.

He said the authorities want to ensure the families are not swept away by floods.

The county security committee held a meeting in the area to come up with ways of dealing with problems that will arise due to the heavy rains.