A couple stares at their destroyed house at Komboyo village in Kibwezi, Makueni county on January 30, 2025/GEORGE OWITIMore than 30 families spent their nights in the cold after strong winds destroyed their houses in Kibwezi, Makueni county.
The victims, residents of Komboyo village in Kibwezi subcounty, were displaced after the wind blew their houses on Tuesday night.
They included women, children, and the elderly, along with people living with disabilities.
The wind also destroyed schools and crops in the fields, leaving residents homeless and in a state of despair.
Facing the dire consequences, these families are now grappling with hunger, disease risks, and concerns about their children's education, as many are forced to spend their nights in the cold.
The wind, arriving amidst the rainy season, soaked children's books and drove many to scramble for safety to avoid the torrential rains.
As of now, the residents report they have not received any assistance. The victims said the situation had interrupted their children’s education, with some suffering from cold-related ailments already.
The destroyed property included bedding, clothes, children’s school uniforms, books, food, houses, and crops.
“I have six children; we all spent the night in the cold after the roof of my house was blown away by the wind on Tuesday night,” Florence Muthusi said.
Florence said her household lost all their belongings to the wind.
“We have nothing left, not even food to eat. We are already experiencing hunger as a result of the wind,” she said.
Some roads connecting homesteads in the village were still blocked by fallen trees when reporters visited the victims.
“Our crops have been equally blown in the farms,” Florence said.
The residents called for the government’s intervention to enable them to get back to their normal lives.
They asked the government to provide them with necessities, including emergency funds and food relief, so that they could rebuild their destroyed houses and replace lost items, especially basic necessities.
“We are pleading with the government to intervene so that get relevant assistance,” Maurice Kimondo said.
Kimondo said some widows and elderly women were the most affected by the tragedy and hence required immediate humanitarian support, both financial and material.
Jacinta Muindi said they were living in fear of being attacked by criminals and wildlife, especially at night.
“We are disparately staring at ourselves without any aid. Hunger is biting, and we have no food to offer our children and feed ourselves too,” Muindi said.
Muindi said they need construction materials like iron sheets to repair their houses.
This tragedy comes a few days after Kibwezi Deputy County Commissioner Paul Khaoya raised concerns about what he referred to as massive crop failure not only in his jurisdiction but most parts of Makueni county.
Speaking at a farmers' field day at Ambrose Musembi's farmland last Thursday, Khaoya said preliminary investigations by his office had revealed that the region had suffered massive crop failure.
Khaoya said the government should plan to supply residents with relief food.