Flood victims in Garissa currently camping at various learning institutions have claimed that the schools’ management are harassing them.
Speaking to KNA on phone the Victims’ Chairman Abdille Bille said that for the past one week they have been threatened with forceful eviction if they do not leave by Friday this week.
At least 8,000 flood victims are still camping at six camps namely Young Muslims, ADC grounds, NEP technical, Kazuku, Hyuga Girls and Jaribu Primary Schools.
“People claiming to be senior education officials and school administrators have in the last one week been going round the camps asking us to start leaving the school failure to which police officers will be called to evict us by force,” Bille said.
“We are wondering who is issuing the orders because national government officials have time and again told us to remain in the camps until we are advised to go back,” he added.
Bille who is camping at Kazuko primary urged the government to urgently intervene and stop any would be forceful eviction.
“The last thing we would like to happen us is being told to leave since some of our homes are still flooded,” he said.
Ambia Hassan an IDP at Hyuga said that panic has gripped the flood victims since the information was relayed to them noting, ‘we don’t know where to go’.
“We have every reason to be worried because those telling us to leave claim to be senior officials. The question is where do we go to,” Ambia said.
According to a senior education official who spoke to KNA on condition of anonymity, many of the victims want to continue being at camps to get relief food supply even when their flood waters in their homes have dried up.
“You cannot imagine the kind of destruction they (IDPs) have causes to the schools’ infrastructure. They have polluted the environment and uprooted trees. The furnitures have also been damaged. What we are saying is that the floods are long gone and they should just go back to their homes,” the official said.
Last week, the Garissa Deputy County Commissioner, Samuel Njuguna cautioned the flood victims against returning to their homes and farms until the crisis ends.
Njuguna said communities in flood-prone areas should wait for the floodwaters to completely subside before they can return and restart their lives.
By Jacob Songok
