This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
Search for Chesogon Bodies Called Off Amid Rising Lake Victoria Waters ¶
On April 23, 2020, the government called off the search for bodies in Chesogon, Kenya, citing the impossibility of retrieving more bodies from the debris due to huge boulders and mounds of soil that had buried them.
A night of heavy rains last Saturday saw mud, rock, and sludge dislodged from Kipchumwa Hills and deposited downhill, where residents of Chesogon town slept unaware of the unfolding tragedy.
The mudslide hit the town with such force that entire structures, and those in them, were swept away, leaving death and desolation in the disaster's wake.
Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya laid wreaths on the banks of Chesegon River to mark the end of the search, stating that 17 people were missing, although residents insisted they were 23. Mr. Natembeya said they had retrieved 18 bodies since Sunday when the search began.
Residents have been battling starvation as most of them are yet to receive food aid. Officials said they were still in the process of verifying beneficiaries following claims that imposters had infiltrated camps set up in schools and churches in the area.
Local leaders appealed for urgent humanitarian support for displaced families. Over 1,000 people were camped at Wewo Primary School and the nearby AIC church, while another 4,000 were sheltered at Sambalat Primary School.
Meanwhile, Nyanza residents have raised concerns over the rising levels of Lake Victoria. Residential and commercial properties on the shoreline have been submerged, with the lake's waters rising about 7 meters beyond the shoreline at Milimani Beach Resort in Dunga Beach.
Resort Manager Robert Adungo said the hotel had a floating restaurant but, due to the heavy tides, it has become too dangerous to access. Eco Lodge Resort Director Biki Kangwana said they have been forced to shut down the hotel because the cottages were flooded.
A spot check by the Nation established that the surge in Lake Victoria water has also affected operations at Dunga Beach and Hippo Point. The rise in the water level has been attributed to torrential rain that has been pounding the country for several months.
Assistant Director for Fresh Water Systems Research at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute (KMFRI), Dr. Christopher Aura, attributed the unpredictable flooding to climate change.
He noted that the highest rise in lake levels was witnessed in 1964 when the water rose by over 2.5 meters, reaching a maximum level of 1134.27 meters above mean sea level.
Elsewhere, a Class Eight pupil is among the four children who were killed in mudslides and floods this week. The 16-year-old, Jackline Cherotich, slipped and fell into Rwandet River on Monday while crossing with two of her friends who survived and raised an alarm.
The body of the Kotetni Primary School pupil was retrieved from the river some two kilometers downstream from where she fell, having been trapped and covered by debris the next day. She was buried on Wednesday after a funeral service at Kapsale Primary School.
Governor Paul Chepkwony and area MP Hillary Koskei donated foodstuff and clothes to the affected families. Residents have been forced to seek shelter in local schools which are currently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
