Cold and sleeping in caves, floods victims say they are forgotten

A victim goes through the remains of his house at Chesegon area in West Pokot County after floods and landslides destroyed their homes. PHOTO | OSCAR KAKAI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Locals are now sleeping in the cold after residents left their villages when they lost their homes, livestock, crops and loved ones in what some say is the worst disaster in recent memory.

Panic has set in among flood and landslide-stricken survivors as the scale of devastation in Chesegon area along the West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet border becomes clearer.

This is after the Saturday tragedy that claimed the lives of four people while 23 are still listed as missing.

Locals are now sleeping in the cold after residents left their villages when they lost their homes, livestock, crops and loved ones in what some say is the worst disaster in recent memory.

It is painful for many women and children in these areas who are now spending their nights in caves and bushes on hills along river banks, with the lucky few sheltering at their kin’s homes.

Many say they are not yet receiving any relief. Most of the aid is coming from locals who have taken matters into their own hands, they say.

Heavy rains on Saturday swept away the connections of more than 350 households leaving more than fifteen people seriously injured.

The area is still surrounded by floodwaters and mud as residents continue collecting what is left of their homes.

There’s a scarcity of water and food in their makeshift shelters, with basic sanitation also lacking.

The families who sought refuge on higher grounds are living in a deplorable state and risk contracting communicable diseases unless urgent measures are taken to address their plight.

As the search for missing bodies continues, all destroyed structures are under mud and water, and the bodies of several people are suspected to be underneath.

Shivering in the cold, Ms Jane Koriatum -- who slept with her siblings uphill in the bush -- said that the floods destroyed all the family’s belongings and the crops in the field.

“There is also the threat of snakes. It’s a very difficult situation here...We are dying of cold. The rains are still pounding and I fear the landslides might again occur,” she said.

Women under a tree at Solution village, Chesegon in West Pokot County after floods and mudslides destroyed their houses. PHOTO | OSCAR KAKAI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

A businessman at Chesegon, Leonard Kiptoo, 30, who is staying with his neigbour says that life had become unbearable.

“The floods washed away all my houses and hotel...sheep, maize, beans, unga that we survived on. Dishes and clothes were washed away. The children had been wearing ripped pairs of shoes in complete poverty. Those shoes were also washed away,” he said.

A school teacher, James Pedoo, said roads connecting villages and towns have been blocked.

“It took our houses and everything we had. Our sheep died. We have nothing left. But how long can they survive in such conditions over the course of a few days in the rain and cold weather when they have no food and insufficient clothing? Women and children are freezing in the cold and spend nights in the water. They are in dire need of clothing and heating,” said Kiptoo.

PHOTO | OSCAR KAKAI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Festus Oketch says: “The bridges are broken, and we cannot cross the rivers, we are cut off from the world, as if we have been forgotten!”

West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo said they are expecting food and other humanitarian supplies from the government.

He said plans are afoot for victims to stay at Arpollo and Cheputulel Primary and Cheptulel Boys schools.

Lonyangapuo also advised the victims to move, to avoid disaster.

He said that they urgently need food and non-food items like tents, mosquito nets and relief food among other basic requirements.

“Majority of the victims come from poor family backgrounds and they have exhausted their little food and savings,” he said.