Residents of Kathese village in Mumbuni, Machakos county are living in fear following landslides in the area.
The locals called on the government and other relevant authorities to intervene and help them find long-lasting solution to the problem they had lived with for over two decades now.
They reported losing their relatives as well as property to the landslide over the years.
“This has been a threat to us. We have had lots of deaths due to the landslides for the last 30 years,” Daniel Kithome said.
They addressed reporters in the village on Thursday.
“Some people have sustained injuries after they slipped into the gullies caused by landslides in the area. My father died of the same after he was buried alive during a landslide,” Kithome said.
He said other than losing lives, they had lost their crops, farms, livestock and churches among other property.
“It’s a disaster. ABC Kathese church is almost going down due to landslide that started as a trench four years back, but is now a valley. When I was 10-years-old, I used to pass through the valley while going to school, there was a road that passed through the valley then,” Kithome said.
He said the road caved in due to landslides 20 years ago.
Residents said 1998 was their worst year due to the El Nino rains.
They said the situation worsened even during drought.
Esther Mutunga said the landslides had seriously affected their livelihoods.
“Several houses in the village have developed cracks. We are living in fear and sleepless nights,” Mutunga said.
Village elder Ruth Mweu said the situation was different when she got married in the village 40 years ago, it was okay.
Mweu said landslides later emerged with the El Nino rains worsening the situation.
She said the landslides pose a great risk to residents especially children, who go to school early in the morning and return home late in the evening unattended.
“We fear that our visitors might die in landslides,” Mweu said.
Mung’ala assistant chief Jackline Syokau said they had reported the situation to relevant authorities multiple times and were waiting for necessary action.
