Victims of floods cry for help

Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto (right) donates food and other items to landslides victims in Chekamos location, West Pokot County. [Irissheel Shanzu, Standard]

The fate of the more than 1,500 residents displaced by landslides in West Pokot County remains unclear, even as schools reopen next week. 

In November, the area was struck by a series of landslides that killed more than 40 people and forced hundreds of survivors out of what was once their homes. The survivors ended up in three primary schools.

Even after the Ministry of Devolution and well-wishers donated building materials to the victims to construct houses, the residents have not left the schools.

Disrupt learning

Raymond Sikamoi, the West Pokot County director in charge of emergency response, yesterday said 450 families were still in the camps, five days before schools reopen. He said plans were on to relocate the families to nearby churches to prevent disruption of school programmes.

Edwin Chepshokan, a resident of Nyarkulian, said nearly 50 mothers were still at the Nyarkulian Primary School evacuation camp.

The other two primary schools harbouring the survivors are Muino and Parua.

Chepshokan said several families affected by the landslides had moved out of the temporary stations to stay with relatives as it was very chilly at the camps. “The weather conditions were quite harsh for most families,” said Chepshokan.

Another victim, Anthony Sortum, whose family was moved from an evacuation camp in Lulwei Primary, to Nyarkulian Primary School, expressed fear that his secondary school going children might not resume studies next week, as he was not able to pay fees. The distraught father said he lost all his livestock and his farm was destroyed in the tragedy.

“It is our hope that the government will assist us with bursaries for our children to enable them resume school, as we have not engaged in any economic activities since November,” said Mr Sortum.

West Pokot County Commissioner Apollo Okello said the evacuated families would remain in the schools for the first week of first term, as the state plans to resettle them.

Mr Okello said of the 450 displaced families, 230 had been considered for resettlement after an evaluation of multi-agency team comprising county government, humanitarian agencies and national government gave a report yesterday.

“The multi-agency team has identified about 230 families who will be resettled. We were hoping to resettle the families by Friday this week, but we still have a shortage of building materials. The schools will have to bear with the situation for the whole of next week,” he said.

He added that building materials worth Sh13.5 million and cash donations of Sh7.2 million had been received against a target of Sh34 million to resettle all the families.

“We have not moved any family out of the three camps, but some of them have voluntarily moved out and integrated with relatives,” he added.

Building materials

On December 23, West Pokot County government, through Governor John Lonyangapuo, received building materials, including 700 pieces of iron sheets worth Sh500,000 from Staff Welfare Association of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to help the victims reconstruct houses.

“The county also got a Sh200,000 donation from the County Assemblies Forum. The money was delivered by Speaker Catherine Mukenyang. My sincere appreciation to the two organisations and all those who have supported the people of West Pokot as we enter recovery stage,” the governor said.

Prof Lonyangapuo urged the government to hasten the reconstruction of bridges destroyed in the deluge, at Marich and Cheper.