Karachuonyo where money-crazed sand miners don't spare graves

Willis Omullo stands near some of the broken graves at a sand harvesting site in Kobala. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

As time went by, he got used to the sight of human remains. He said whenever they got them they just reburied them without ceremony. The youth are oblivious of the risks they have exposed the community to.

Daniel Okinyi, a resident, wants the government to act to reduce the sand mining craze. He said that apart from sand, even bones of their forefathers are scooped and carried away with the sand.

"The bones being reburied are incomplete and that's an indication that some have been sold with the sand," he said.

In one of the open gullies opposite Osodo SDA church, we see gowns of the departed in the sand. A closer look reveals that the clothes were used to wrap a person who died years back and was reburied. Paces away we see two long bones.

Pastor Peter Onyango of Voice Of Salvation Healing Church is unhappy about the sand harvesting that has left youth in the village taking part in sacrilegious acts and destroying the environment.

"This is the village that treats it's dead as unworthy. The level of respect that our generation had for the dead is unmatched," he said.

He said the position of Christianity is that if a person has been buried through a ceremony, no one should interfere with the grave without ceremony.

"The church cannot burry one person twice, whatever is happening to graves in our village is a serious concern and should be addressed by the government fast. We have homes with exposed coffins and human remains," he added.

Willis Omullo, a resident, has launched a pressure group, Aluora Makare (Good Environment), to enlighten villagers about the dangers of sand harvesting. He has been facing opposition.

"Topsoil has been harvested with sand and now the village is staring at several natural calamities like famine and flooding should the rivers around and the lake swell. There's nothing we can farm in this village." He said.

Aluora Makare has been advocating land rehabilitation but the challenges facing the village are massive. The village stayed without power for close to three years after all Kenya Power poles were felled because of sand digging.

Pieces of bones at a sand harvesting site in Kobala. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

The story of Kobala is not different from that of Kobuya and Rakwaro villages where gullies have formed, putting the lives of residents at risk.

Statistics show that schoolchildren and other residents have died in the sand mining sites from falls.

Homa Bay Water, Irrigation and Environment Executive Joash Aloo said they are aware of the problem but are yet to pass laws that will curb harvesting.

"We are aware of it and we are developing a policy that will be taken to the county assembly for ratification, once we have a policy which is like law, we can now move to enforce it after public participation," He said.

He said the county is bothered about the activities that are tearing the ecosystem apart and is working on a policy paper to make sure locals are sensitised on the dangers of uncontrolled sand harvesting.

"The economic benefits of selling that sand is not worth the level of destruction of the environment. We are moving swift to ensure carcass waste management is done in a humane manner to avoid exposing the bones of our ancestors because of greed for money," said the executive.

Homa Bay National Environment Management Authority boss Joash Nyandoro remained tight lipped on the issue, stating that he is away.

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