Residents of Nyatike Sub-county have called on the leadership of Migori County to implement early flood-mitigation measures to protect residents’ lives and property.
Speaking during a forum at Kimai village in Macalder Kanyarwanda Ward-Nyatike, the residents, led by Kennedy Nyambok, said that the National Meteorological Department had issued an alert over expected El Niño rains in the coming months of September and October, warning that the larger Nyatike Sub-county, which is prone to floods, should be well prepared.
They explained that the residents are tired of floods every single year; that always wash away their livelihoods, bring chaos, death, and loss of property.
In the 2026/2027 Financial Year, Migori County allocated a Sh44.2 million budget for emergency preparedness and response to mitigate potential incidents such as floods.
Nyambok, however, urged the Department of Environment and Disaster Management to ensure the Sh44.2 million allocation is utilised prudently to uplift the residents in case of natural calamities in the County.
The residents also called upon the National government to continue creating dykes at the lower Kuja irrigation scheme to control the water flow and reduce floods in the region.
The Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme has been employing dykes as a flood control measure to prevent water from flowing beyond a certain height in Nyatike Sub-county.
The dykes have been acting as the first line of defense against overflowing water that continues to damage properties and displace the native.
In March this year, Marindi Market, located at the heart of Migori town, was affected by floods when the River Migori burst its banks, affecting half of the small businesses within the market.
A hundred households from the Pand Pieri area on the outskirts of Migori Town, were also affected by the floods.
The March floods also affected parts of Kuria, with most damage occurring at the Kendege Technical and Vocational College (TVC) and the Migori GK Prison after flash floods from the River Migori swept away farm investments worth millions.
Migori County has been experiencing rainfall for the past three days after a prolonged period of dryness that has caused farmers in the region to incur losses.
By Makokha Khaoya
