This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
June 12, 2020
Residents living around Yala swamp in Siaya are accusing the police and health officials of laxity in collecting bodies swept into the area by the receding River Yala waters.
According to Central Alego Member of County Assembly Leonard Oriaro, the bodies have been floating downstream for days, posing a significant health hazard to the residents.
Oriaro, who spoke to the press at Kadenge, appealed to the county and national governments to join hands and save the residents from potential disease outbreaks.
He lamented that the residents are afraid to move close to the bodies for fear of being accused of interfering with evidence, and instead, the bodies are left to decompose.
“A case in point is that of a body of a woman with a baby strapped on her back that has been at the swamp for days,” Oriaro said.
He also called for the repair of a road linking Kadenge with Yimbo that was cut off by the floods, making it difficult for people from Siaya to access the other side of the river.
By Philip Onyango
