Hundreds of Garissa farmers farming along River Tana in Garissa County, are now demanding compensation from the government for the millions of shillings they have been losing to floods over the years.
The farmers, through their Garissa Farmers Network say that every rain season, they have been counting losses as the floods sweep through their farms leaving a trail of destruction of not only their crops but also their irrigation infrastructure.
Speaking after a meeting in Garissa town, the farmers attributed the floods to water released from the seven folk dams, noting that enough was enough and that it was high time that people were held accountable for the floods triggered by the systematic release of dam waters.
Led by Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, the farmers further claim that despite the heavy losses they have been facing due to flooding of their farms, the only support they have received from either the county or the national government is timely flood alerts to abandon their farms.
“Our farms are dotted along the Tana River, from Balambala to Ijara which is about 400 kilometers. We have been facing floods since 2004. Every season, either short or long rains, we have been facing floods which is an extraneous disaster to our farms,” Hassan said.
“The only assistance we are getting are alerts a few days before the upstream dams are released. We have lost millions of shillings and from now on, we cannot continue this way. The people releasing the dams have to be responsible for the flooding of our farms,” he added.
The farmers are also seeking permanent infrastructural solutions to prevent annual losses such as the construction of additional dams to hold the excess water, and diversion of some of the River Tana waters through canals.
Amina Issa, a farmer within the network, lamented that most farmers had completely lost their livelihoods and could no longer support their families due to the frequent losses incurred.
According to Amina, the farmers sought their income from crop growing, beekeeping and fodder farming which has now become untenable due to the perennial floods thus dimming their lives.
“For the last five years, our farms have been flooded. We have lost our livelihoods, we have lost food for our families, we have lost income to pay school fees and care for our families. This is a problem that can be resolved by siltation of the current dams or by setting up new other dams,” Amina said.
“For five years, we have stood and waited for actions to be taken by the government to mitigate the problem that is there, unfortunately that has not happened. We have now reached a situation where we can no longer continue farming on the river line to be able to support our livelihoods,” she added.
The Garissa farmers’ demands come just a day after nominated Member of Parliament Umulkheir Harun filed a lawsuit at Garissa High Court over constant floods that have repeatedly swept away crops and devastated livelihoods.
The MP has listed the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, the Principal Secretary for Energy, the Kenya Electricity Generating Company, the Water Resources Authority and the Attorney General as respondents.
“Year in, year out, farmers and entire communities have suffered immense losses of money, property, livestock and livelihoods due to the constant release of excess water from the overflow of Masinga Dam,” said the youth nominated MP.
The lawmaker said she went to court to defend and fight for the rights of people in Garissa after floods from dams upstream caused untold suffering, including loss of lives.
By Erick Kyalo
