Region plagued by vicious cycle of floods, hunger and insecurity

Fishermen at Kambi Samaki in Lake Baringo, Baringo county on November 16, 2022. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

"I witnessed this phenomenon when I was a young boy, but it was not severe as this, something must be wrong. The lake is swelling and at the time there is drought, the sun is extremely hot. I have never witnessed this," says Lemartum.

A recent report shows that Lake Baringo has expanded from 236 square kilometres in 2015 to about 270 square kilometers, posing a threat to adjacent homesteads and institutions.

The phenomenon which started in 2012 has displaced thousands of people along the lake shores, destroying crops and submerging homesteads, power lines, roads, hotels, health facilities, and schools among others.

Last year, a report compiled by a special team put together by the government to look into the effects of the swelling lakes in the Rift Valley showed that the State would require Sh17.9 billion to mitigate the damage caused by the swelling lakes.

Reuben Chepkonga, a resident of Baringo south, has taken the government of Kenya to court over its failure to prepare adequately to deal with the effects of climate change.

Chepkonga filed the petition on behalf of residents of Ng'arwa and Bartum locations who were displaced by floods in Lake Baringo to compel the government to compensate them for damages they incurred.

In the petition filed at the Environment and Lands Court in Iten, Elgeiyo Maraket county, the residents from Ilchamus and Tugen communities who reside on the shores of Lake Baringo stated that they have suffered massive loss and damage.

"We are in court seeking compensation for the damages. We blame the government for failing to provide us with adaptation strategies that could have helped us in mitigating and protecting our lives, health and properties. The government has systems that can detect or predict the weather, and by this, they could have given us a warning," said Chepkonga.

As climate change accelerates, its impacts worsen existing social, economic, and environmental challenges.

According to Jackson Kinyanjui, the founder of the Climate Change Kenya organisation and an expert in agricultural meteorology and climate change, the insecurity experienced in the North Rift region has been partly fuelled by climate change.

He says when there is a scarcity of water and pasture, cases of insecurity tend to go up, especially in the North Rift region, as communities fight for scarce resources.

Kinyanjui believes a long-term solution is for residents in these parts of the country to practice smart agriculture, and for the government to provide mitigation solutions like construction of water pans and dams to collect water during the rainy season that can be used for irrigation during dry seasons.

Julius Akeno, a Pokot activist and author of the book Patrons of Wild Suguta Valley says banditry in the region is a direct result of climate change.

"Due to the recurrent drought as a result of climate change, pasture has depleted in most parts of the region and locals move to wherever resources are. This triggers conflict among the communities," says Akeno.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives and livestock driven away in bandit attacks experienced in the counties of Baringo, Elgeiyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu and Laikipia.

Sadly, more than 100 officers deployed in the region to flush out bandits have so far lost their lives, with the largest number recorded from an attack on November 10, 2012, when 42 officers were killed in a single operation in Baragoi's Suguta Valley.