Kibera residents express concern over effects of rainy season
As Kenyans celebrate the rainy season and the government led by President William Ruto urges farmers to capitalize on the downfall to sow their gardens and plant, Kibera residents appear to be cursing the downpour.
A spot check by Nairobi News shows that residents living in lower settlement areas are at risk of losing their property by the swelling rivers and bursting drainages.
Meanwhile, the frequent sewage bursts are posing a health hazard.
Millicent Auma, a resident from Kibra in Nairobi says rainy seasons are the worst in her life.
“During the rainy season, we experience a lot of challenges, where I live is next to sewer point and when it rains there is a lot of trash that comes with a lot of force sweeping down the walls of my house. Sometimes the litter gets into the house,” she explained.
Many houses in the slum settlements are made of mud, old iron sheets and sacks, thus exposing the residents to constant danger.
George Otieno narrates: “when it rains it’s hard for my family to sleep at night for the fear of being swept away.”
He reveals that he lives next to a river and the kids sleep on the floor which puts them in so much danger.
On March 23, 2023, a 12-year-old girl was swept away in Kangemi while asleep. It was reported that the water overpowered the walls made of mud.
While Kenya is expecting the long rains the ordeal of these residents will only intensify as many now appeal to the government for help.
They have asked their leaders to put up water harvesting points within the area so as to store and treat the water before it is recycled for water.
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