This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
Heavy flooding in Nyando, Kisumu County, has left hundreds of families displaced and struggling to access basic necessities. The situation, which began in March, has turned villages into islands, with residents relying on boats to access their homes.
At Ombaka Primary School, an evacuation camp, residents are facing a daunting task of finding a new home, with little chance of returning to rebuild their submerged homes. The camp is congested, with inadequate supply of food, clean water, drugs, mosquito nets, clothes, bedding, and shelter.
Janet Atieno, 65, lost six chickens and six goats to the floods and now relies on relief aid and donations for survival. James Omondi, a 34-year-old father of two, returned home last week to restart his life but says life is unbearable with the only means of transport being a boat.
According to Kakola-Ombaka assistant chief Jacob Ongudi, conditions at the camp are deplorable, and he has asked for help from the government and well-wishers. Nyando MP Jared Okello has distributed government relief food to various camps across the constituency and is working with villagers in higher grounds to integrate the affected families into their homes.
For Seline Achieng, a widow who gave birth to her third child at the camp with the help of community health volunteers, the situation is dire. She has been at the camp for 14 weeks, relying on community health workers for medical care and assistance for her ailing children and elderly people.
“It’s a dog’s life here. People scramble and beg for food and clean water. We have no place to go or get basic needs,” Achieng said.
