By Reuben Olita
Teso residents are living in fear with second harvest looking gloom and property destruction, taking its toll during the emergence of El-Nino rains nearly two months now.
Godrick Karani
Residents of Kimasat village in Malaba Central Ward are mostly hit with residents appealing to the County Government of Busia through area Member of the County Assembly Ronald Ochalu to come to their rescue.
The residents appealed to area MCA, who is also the Deputy Speaker in the County Assembly of Busia Hon Ochalu to take trouble and visit the area personally to witness challenges they are facing.
” Hakuje awache kutumana watu licha ya kuwa Ward Manager ni mtoto wao haoni usaidizi licha ya kuwa hako mbali na hao sana sana Amagoro (Come and stop sending people since the ward manager apart from being their son is far they don’t see any help especially Amagoro),” a resident Godrick Karani said.
Karani said over three of their traditional pit latrines have collapsed with houses becoming wet due to excessive rains and no drainage due to poor terrain.
” Waterborne diseases like Malaria, typhoid, dysentery, and cholera are imminent since we drink brown water straight from River Malakisi, which is 150m away without treatment.We feel we have been forgotten by the County Government,” Karani said.
Karani said they don’t expect any harvests from this season since maize has remained stunted, adding that their able DS will bring them maize seeds come January 2024.
Hon Ochalu’s staunch supporter Osokaise Marago who had visited the Kimasat area said as a plumber of Malaba Central Ward based in Amagoro, water challenges have been sorted out mostly in Amoni, Kajei, Malaba Green Town and Malaba Customs.
” In Amagoro, the Deputy Speaker allocated money with desire to sort out the permanent shortage. As a plumber, we face challenges owing to big stone on that borehole. However, the DS is making frantic efforts to find an alternative land to drill a borehole to avail water to area Amagoro residents.
Mr Osoka said drainage challenges remains a challenge owing to clay soils, which makes it poor to hold water and makes toilets collapse and residential houses wet.
Pascalia Etyang said she takes hard tasks of fetch water from River Malakisi 150m away noting that she sometimes dropped jerricans due to wet terrain while their home is waterlogged and cassava has rotten taproots with no harvests exp
