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Families On Edge As Fertile Hillside Starts Disappearing
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 03 July 2007 07:05
One side of the twin hill in Gucha District - called Kegochi - has suffered landslides and water flows from deep cracks on its solid rocks.What used to be fertile land is now bare. It has gigantic stones, deep gullies and cracks running as deep as 50 metres. Landslides and cracks have made the land inaccessible, burying the maize crop that was ripe for harvesting.The villagers fear they are sitting on a time bomb as the hill could crumble any time.
Scene of clan battle
Their fears are compounded by the fact that 16 years ago the hill was a battle-field between neighbouring clans of Abanyang'ande and Abasansa over land dispute that led to the death of one person.More than 100 homesteads belonging to Abanyang'ande were either burnt or flattened in the feud.The latest landslides - in Itibonge, Bobasi constituency - have been occasioned by heavy rains since December.Residents are further intrigued by the timing of the unusual happenings - usually deep in the night. They say they frequently wake up in the morning to find fresh earth thrown to the surface, maize and other plants buried in sludge and their shambas cut off.
Appeal to soil experts
So bad is the situation that assistant chief Charles Mogire has appealed to the local district soil experts for help. His appeal is yet to be heeded.The provincial administrators want experts to explain the cause of cracks all over the mountain and the nocturnal timing of the landslides.
The hill, previously full of trees and other vegetation, has in the recent years been converted to farmland.Mr Mogire also wants soil experts to advise on what should happen to 300 homesteads. He says: "People on the foot of the hill are exposed to falling stones and landslides. The whole area could collapse.
"Sometimes I think of moving the homes away. We could suffer a big disaster that could affect many people."The deep cracks have occasionally turned into streams, with torrential waters coursing down the hill. This leads to more soil erosion and wearing away of the rocks.
Families which have cultivated maize and other crops on the hill have given up on the harvest. They say they could be swept away or buried by loose soil should landslides occur when they are in the shambas.Mr Pora Mosota says he has abandoned his one acre plot on which he had planted maize.
"It can go to waste. Let me save my life and that of my family. We could be exposed to landslides while on the farm," he says.He continues: "I fear going to the shamba to harvest the crop. Yet I know my family will face a shortage of maize. A large portion of our land has been destroyed by landslides."
Mr James Nyakundi Omotongore, 62, says he has never seen such a thing in his life."Soil experts should come and explain what is going on to us. It has not happened here before in my lifetime."
He also calls on the Government to look into their plight. "We could die en mass if those rocks come tumbling down. We are living in absolute fear."Residents accuse the authorities of failure to respond to the crisis, despite being told about it long before it became a disaster.
Farmer Elkanah Mosota asked the Government to move landowners to safer ground, far away from the shrinking farms."We have no future near this hill. It's a disaster waiting to happen. This is no place to settle."Worst affected are people with land on the hilltop. They will be virtually landless should the edifice crumble.Many of them stay awake at night anticipating the worst.Being largely superstitious, they resist closing their eyes in sleep as it could invite danger.
But the situation has inspired local musician Bernard Makini Nchore - who is composing a song on the phenomena. It may not be sweet music to many people, but it is soothing. He hopes it will be a hit among the community.
Africa 2007
Sort out the mess
The song could be out in the market in the next two months, he says. "Our leaders are not keen to help us sort out the mess.In the song, he appeals for help from leaders countrywide. When the Nation visited the area, Mr Nchore was rehearsing on the hillock.
Being an election year, residents are asking local leaders to identify with the problem first before seeking votes.They lament that no elected leader has visited the area to assess the situation, or even made an attempt to invite Government officials. Mr Mogire says a way should be identified to tap the water flowing from the hill. It could be harvested and piped to homes in the lower ground using gravity.Currently, families near the vanishing hill walk 10 kilometres to fetch water from perennial springs further afield.
