Naivasha: Thousands of residents of the flooded Kihoto informal settlement in Naivasha are facing the apparent danger of attacks from invading hippos from Lake Naivasha, with schoolchildren being the most exposed. The months-long flooding has engulfed tens of homes, affecting over 15,000 residents who are also facing imminent threats of contaminating waterborne diseases, including cholera.
According to Kenya News Agency, area MCA Alex Mbugua reported that over 3,000 households with 15,000 residents have so far been affected by the rising water levels of the lake, noting that the majority of them are unable to vacate due to lack of funds. Mbugua said now the residents are living in fear of being attacked by roaming wild animals, especially the hippos, as well as threats of the emergence of diseases that may have major health repercussions.
He highlighted the need for government intervention to resolve the now annual occurrence by compensating the rightful owners of the properties affected and sealing off the area from being inhabited. The MCA noted that the majority of owners have valid title deeds sourced from government agencies and therefore have the right to be compensated before being vacated from the area.
This comes after the CS for Lands, Housing and Resettlement, Hon. Alice Wahome, stated the government’s plan to relocate the residents whose premises are constructed on the lake riparian land in the coming months. Wahome, who had visited the Naivasha lands registry, said her ministry will move to earmark the lake boundaries before any relocation plans are affected.
According to one resident, Josiah Okumu, they face daily risks of being attacked by the hippos as they invade the flooded homes, with school-going children being the most exposed. In addition, Okumu mentioned the risk of cholera infection, as area toilets have been flooded and the sewer system blocked. He decried the lack of government support for the affected persons to facilitate them to vacate the area, noting that most residents are still living in flooded homes due to lack of funds to move out.
On her part, Rose Adayo stated that the flooding has crippled area businesses that were supporting tens of families at the low-Income housing units, with most unable to feed their families and enable them to move out to other neighborhoods. She said the residents are fearing being attacked by hippos who have turned the flooded homes into their habitat, adding that the government should support them to move out and evade danger.
Nancy Atieno added that families are facing mounting challenges, including being exposed to diseases and hippo attacks, which pose a major health threat in case of an outbreak. The besieged Kihoto estate, home to thousands of low-paid flower farm workers and fisherfolk communities, has been plagued with myriads of challenges, including crime, murders, and suicides, among others.
The estate near Naivasha town is now in the limelight once again with desperate calls by residents for help and support, but which has not been forthcoming for weeks. Lake Naivasha has been one of the water bodies within the Rift Valley region that has experienced rising water levels, which has left thousands of people displaced and tens of properties destroyed and others submerged.
As water bodies reclaim their original boundaries, the scenario has led to questions on how tens of property owners within the lakes’ gazetted riparian zones secured claimed original titles. As the government ponders the idea of relocating the affected residents, the whip must fall on those who were involved in the issuance of illegal and fraudulent titles.