A total of 12 families from Emsoo ward, Keiyo North Sub County, are counting losses after their farms were swept away by a mudslide over the weekend.
Frederick Chepsoi said he had spent over sh100,000 to plant on his one-and-a-half-acre farm, which he was allocated by his father, but has been left with nothing after the mudslide.
Speaking to the press at his farm, Chepsoi said he was alerted by a neighbour on Thursday last week of a crack on a section of his farm; another bigger crack was evident on Friday before the farm finally gave in over the weekend.
Chepsoi, who says he is ailing and has to go for a medical checkup at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret every week, does not know where to start, saying he relies on the land to meet his medical and other financial needs.
“I have been using the proceeds from the farm to pay for my medical expenses, pay school fees for my children, and meet other financial obligations. I don’t know how I will move on,” he said.
Mercy Maiyo, who was also affected by the mudslide, has appealed to the government to come to their rescue, saying the land which was swept away was all they had and that they have been seeking shelter from neighbours since last week.
“We cannot stay with neighbours forever; we need to move out, but where do we go after the only land that we owned has been swept away?” she posed.
Salina Biwott, a village elder, said farmers in the area have been relying on the growing of tomatoes and onions, which they supply to markets in Iten and Eldoret. She said that following the mudslide, the only road leading to the area has been cut off, and they have been forced to hire people to carry the produce on their backs up the steep terrain, which will lead to an increase in expenses, thus affecting their earnings.
Assistant Chief Charles Rotich said while they are grateful that no fatalities were recorded after all 12 families moved out, the area residents have been doing quite well economically but have now been reduced to paupers following the mudslide.
Area Member of County Assembly Christopher Cheboiboch called on the County Executive Commissioner of Roads to clear the area of debris to ensure the road is passable in a bid to lessen the suffering of farmers by ensuring that their produce reaches the markets.
Cheboiboch said while the affected area is along the Kerio escarpment, which is susceptible to mudlsides, such an occurrence has never been witnessed in the area.
By Alice Wanjiru
