Over 50 households in Botwa village in Trans Nzoia County are a worried lot as water seeping from underground threatens to dip
The residents told KNA that the underground water has destroyed property worth thousands of shillings.
One of the residents, Ann Nasambu, said that the water caught many of them by surprise.
“For the 30 years I have been living in Botwa village, I have never seen such a scenario,” she said.
She said her maize farm has been ‘swallowed’ by the underground water and fears she may have nothing to eat as her crop has been lost.
Her neighbour, Joy Milembe, narrated how her house collapsed following the underground water.
“Around midnight last week when I was asleep, I heard sounds of wall cracking and decided to check around the house only to find the floor full of water,” she said.
Joy said that her quick reaction saved her for the house collapsed about five minutes after she bolted out in the middle of the night.
“I am asking the government to come to our rescue as most of the houses here are covered by soil and are uninhabitable because water is seeping from underground. Trees and crops in farms have also been destroyed,” she said.
Trans Nzoia East Deputy County Commissioner Abed Mwalwa, however, said that those affected are illegally sitting on riparian land.
He said that the Kenya Red Cross had sunk water pans at the location that were later neglected and silted.
According to Mwalwa, the locals built on top of the neglected water pans, risking their lives.
He said they should relocate to safer grounds to avoid loss of life and property.
