More than 600 farmers from two villages along the Kerio escarpment are counting losses running into millions of shillings after their parcels of land under maize and millet crops were destroyed by the raging floods.
Residents of the affected villages, Kamogich and Songeto, which are classified as hardship areas by the national government are now staring at a major food crisis following the torrential rain which has been pounding the region since last week.
A section of farmers at the lower part of the region are also counting losses estimated at more than Ksh10 million after their crops were
swept downstream by rain water.
Speaking to Mwanahabari.co.ke in Iten town, their spokesman Abraham Chemwolo said scores of families have been rendered homeless after
their houses were destroyed by floods.
He has appealed to Elgeyo Marakwet county government to intervene in their plight by availing maize seeds to enable them replant their
crops to save them from starvation.
“We spent all our money and resources to plant maize and millet in our farms two months ago which has been destroyed by the floods and we are
appealing to the regional government to help us with seeds to replant our crops,” said Chemwolo.
He said that unless the county moves with speed to address their grievances, they will be forced to rely on food relief from the state and other humanitarian organizations.
Chemwolo said the rain water has turned disastrous for the last one week displacing hundreds of families and destroying acres of farmlands both at the upper and lower part of the escarpment.
Jane Cheptoo says that she has been planting millet which is her main source of livelihood on her five acre piece of land which was destroyed by the floods four days ago.
Cheptoo said that apart from causing massive destruction to their crops, the raging floods also submerged swathes of land along the Valley with newly planted beans being washed away into River Kerio.
Area Governor Alex Tolgos has asked families living in flood-prone areas along the escarpment to move to safer ground to save their lives in the wake of pounding rainfall.