‘’I went to bed a rich man, only to wake up poor and waiting for relief food,” says 50-year-old Bashir Siyadh, who lost all his investments during the floods.
A parent’s dream is to at least provide the basic needs for their children—food, shelter, and clothing. But what happens when these needs are not met? How does it affect a parent’s mind when, just months ago, they had a homestead, children in school, healthy livestock, and thriving crops?
From sleeping in a warm bed to sleeping on mats in tents, from eating food grown on your farm to relying on relief food—this drastic change impacts not only physical well-being but also mental health.
“I had wealth I accumulated over decades. I thought my future was secure, but in the blink of an eye, I went from being financially stable to poor. Back to zero,” says Bashir Siyadh.
We meet Bashir in Marafa village, Tana River County. He sits under a tree with other men, residents of temporary shelters provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Bashir owned 150 goats and sheep, along with 51 cows. He now has only 16 cows left.
“I lost most of my livestock while moving to dry land during the floods. Others died because I couldn’t find enough food or due to diseases. My cows are struggling to conceive or keep pregnancies because of the lack of food and ongoing diseases,” he explains.
Bashir wishes he had sold his livestock sooner.
“When it all happened, I was in shock, just trying to keep everyone safe. But now that the shock has passed, I wish I had sold some of my livestock and saved the money in the bank,” he says.
Due to the overcrowding, there was an outbreak of cholera.
“There’s no nearby hospital, so the Red Cross had to set up mobile clinics to handle the situation,” he says.
“We just want our lives back to normal—permanent houses and medicine for our livestock,” says Bashir.
Education was also disrupted for three months. While the children have returned to school, they still struggle because of food shortages.
Farmers were also affected by the floods.
The long rains changed their lives. As the land dries, though still risky, some have returned to their farms to plant, saying, “We can’t wait for relief food. We have families to feed, and life must go on.”
We meet Athman Mohammed Jilo in Gala Mani, Tana River County. Athman also lives in a temporary shelter provided by IOM.
We find him near his tent. The Gala Mani shelters are next to the road, and a few meters away, by the shores of the Tana River, is where most residents had their homes and farms.
Athman shows us his farm, passing other residents who are also farming. Many have started with maize. Before we reach Athman’s plot, large sections of the area are covered in mango trees, which provide not only shade but also a slight economic boost when sold.
Athman has planted maize and green grams.
“Before the floods, we used water pumps. Now, armyworms are our biggest challenge. I’ve already lost two harvests because of them,” he says.
Athman says when the rains started, they were grateful, not knowing their lives were about to change. Most were ready to harvest, but the floods washed away their hard work. Now, they are asking for farm tools and seeds.
Another resident, 72-year-old Grace Luwa, sits with fellow women on mats outside the temporary shelters.
“I had vegetables on my farm, but everything was destroyed by the floods. I’ve never struggled to find food before because I had everything I needed from my farm, but things have changed,” she says.
Armyworms and wildlife continue to damage their crops.
“The worms have ruined everything, and the hippos step on the maize, taking us back to square one,” she explains.
Like Bashir and Athman, Luwa says they don’t want to depend on relief food but prefer to be equipped to support themselves.
“IOM has helped us with non-food items, and we are grateful. But we need assistance with pesticides, seeds, and farming tools. The rest we can handle ourselves,” Luwa says.
Authorities
Tana River County’s Minister for Health, Joshua Kofa, says the cholera outbreak was largely due to the congestion.
“We had isolation units set up. Cholera is a sign of poor sanitation, so we partnered with the Ministry of Water to transport clean water to affected areas. We treated the wells and provided water purification tablets,” he says.
Kofa adds that they conducted rapid tests before announcing the outbreak and educated residents on proper sanitation.
A non-governmental organization also constructed iron-sheet toilets in the camps to help address the sanitation challenge.
Milka Karai, Director of the Service Delivery Unit in Tana River County, says their priority is ensuring residents’ safety.
“We’ve implemented measures to raise awareness of early warning signs of disasters, aiming to protect lives and property,” she says.
Sharif Faisal, Head of Programs at IOM Kenya, emphasizes the need for long-term solutions.
“We’re working with a range of stakeholders, including the county government. The governor has reached out to partner with IOM. The Tana River government has a cluster approach, planning to relocate vulnerable communities to higher ground and create permanent solutions, including housing, health facilities, and education. We’re discussing with development partners to see what’s possible,” he explains.
The County Government of Tana River has set aside land for relocating flood victims to higher ground.
“This is a costly endeavor, as it requires moving infrastructure like schools, health facilities, and water systems to new areas. The people are slowly accepting the program, and it’s gaining momentum. The county government and some partners have provided building materials and temporary shelter facilities for schools and health centers, as well as collapsible water tanks,” says County Secretary Mwajuma Hiribae.
However, some residents are hesitant to move, claiming they can’t farm in the highlands. Joe Mbalu, Acting Secretary General in charge of programs at the Kenya Red Cross, says moving communities is difficult; the decision must come from the people themselves. However, they can farm in the lowlands and live in the highlands, where the cluster villages are.
“These discussions are ongoing because the flooding will happen again. There are areas where they can farm but should keep their families in safer areas. We’ve activated warning protocols to monitor and provide real-time information to communities,” he says.
Mbalu adds that they are monitoring water levels to ensure timely warnings to residents.
