Number of families displaced by Lake Naivasha shoots up

The number of families displaced by the rising waters of Lake Naivasha has hit 4,000, with fears the figure could rise due to the ongoing rains.

Local leaders are now challenging the government to declare the crisis a national disaster as more families continue to face the full wrath of nature.

The prevailing situation has forced Nakuru County government to provide transport to poor and vulnerable families to relocate to neighbouring estates.

Since the year began, water levels in the lake have been rising gradually, but the situation has worsened in the last three months with homes, latrines, schools, and churches flooding. 

According to former head of the Government Delivery Service (GDS) Peter Mbae, a humanitarian crisis is developing in the area that is home to tens of flower farm workers.

Speaking after visiting the affected area, Mbae hit out at the national and county governments for not taking action amid the suffering by residents. 

“We are giving the national and county governments a 48-hour notice to intervene over this crisis; failure to which we shall be forced to take to the streets,” he said.

Mbae noted the parliamentary committee on land had previously visited the estate and recommended that the legal land owners be compensated.

On her part, Eunice Mureithi, a local leader, some of the residents bought the land legally and had title deeds amid allegations that they were living on riparian land.

She challenged the county government to wake up from slumber and assist the affected families amid fears of a disease outbreak, as latrines had flooded.

The county chief officer for Disaster Management, Joyce Ncece, assured that a multi-sectoral team had been formed to support the vulnerable people in relocating.

“Over 4000 families have so far been affected, and we are offering them transport to relocate to other estates, and the situation is getting worse by the day,” she said.

One of the victims, Mathew Halili, decried how they had been forgotten by the national and county governments, with many of them sleeping hungry in the flooded houses.

“We are ready to take to the streets to demand our rights as the situation is getting dire with hippos straying into our homes,” he said.

A flower farm worker, Beth Wamaitha, said that many of them could not afford to relocate to other estates as landlords had hiked rent.

“We are sleeping in the flooded houses as we don’t have money to relocate while the people whom we voted into office have completely forgotten us,” she said before breaking down.