Garissa: The residents of Bouralgy village in Garissa are outraged with the government over the flow of raw sewage into the homesteads, disrupting their lives and livestock and exposing them to health risks. The residents say that they have put up with the mess for over two years since the sewer lines were destroyed by floods during the December 2023 El Nino rains. Led by Muktar Ibrahim, the residents say their calls to both the national and county government to repair the sewer lines and resolve the issue have always landed on deaf ears.

According to Kenya News Agency, the villagers complained that there had been frequent outbreaks of diseases in the area and called on the national government to act swiftly and save the situation. “This sewage has brought us many problems. Our livestock drink this sewage as water and are the same livestock we are depending on especially for milk and meat,” Ibrahim said. He further expressed frustration over the lack of accountability, stating, “The two levels of government are pushing the blame on each other’s side on who is responsible for it and who will do the repairs leaving us suffering.”

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama, on his part, put the blame on the national government, noting that the sewer line project was never handed over to the county government after devolution. Jama said that his administration has been taking the blows for the hazard yet it was not their project, but called for dialogue between the two levels of government, and came up with ways to collaborate to end the menace. “The issue of this raw sewage flowing into communities is a shame and a disgrace. The county government is being blamed for this mess when it is not our project,” Jama stated. He added, “The sewage maintenance has never been handed over to the county government of Garissa. It was a project by the national government before devolution and it decided to leave it like that and what we are seeing today is the negative effects of the same.”