Bunyala District - South of the River Nzoia (Interrupted)

My plan to tour the entire district of Bunyala by bicycle has hit a bit of a snag. I previously detailed our completion of the villages north of the River Nzoia. We had been making steady progress on those south of the river through the end of September.

But around that time, my counterpart Austin received a message from a local financial services business he had applied to a long time ago. A job opening had emerged. Austin spent several days preparing and interviewing for the position. Our previously steady momentum was significantly hindered. Over the first two weeks of October, we were only able to go out into the field twice. And last week, he officially left my host organization.

I am very happy for Austin, the man needed money. He has been working without pay since college, and was therefore unable to adequately support himself. He has been building his house within his family’s concession, but has been unable to complete it since he couldn’t afford supplies. He had been using a phone without a functioning screen, and just last week, this phonewas switched off on account of being counterfeit. He has no means of transportation, and has had to borrow someone else’s bike just to accompany me to the field.

But in terms of my work and the organization in general, times have gotten even more difficult. The person whom I have worked most closely with within this organization has now left. My host organization is now entirely staffed by Wandera (my original counterpart who has now been elevated to my supervisor after Tom’s departure for politics) and two office assistants. I have not seen Wandera in over a month. He spends all of his time within the Samia District office, and is unfamiliar with projects within Bunyala District. Therefore, since I am based in Bunyala District, I am now working with a staff of only one office assistant, who has been with the organization for only two months herself.

I am currently working closely with the chairman of the board and have asked him to schedule a full board meeting. This meeting will happen shortly. During this meeting, I plan on presenting to them all of the challenges which I see facing this organization. We can then discuss as an organization strategies to succeed into the future. As a result of this meeting, I hope the organization will have a clear path forward and we can begin to rebuild.

With all that has happened, I am not sure when I will be able to continue my tour of Bunyala District. This is something I cannot do alone, as I am not a local familiar with the area. The remaining locations are also those farthest away, and require river and swamp crossings, both by boat and on foot (hello, schisto!), to get there.

On account of the struggles, I wanted to go ahead and post pictures of the areas which Austin and I were able to cover together.

Many of the major problems faced within communities south of the river turn out to be the same as those faced by communities north of the river, but these problems are generally more severe. It also remains apparent that most people generally do not practice proper hand washing techniques at home, and many do not adequately treat their drinking water.

Below is a summary of our arrested travels, in pictures, across locations of Bunyala District south of the River Nzoia:

We passed over the bridge into Siaya District just past Ruambwa, and made our first stop south of the River Nzoia to the village of Busagwa. We spoke with this woman who was cutting ‘sukuma wiki’ (kales) for lunch. Damage from the flooding last December was clear. The water reached half the height of the wall. Most families in the area rely upon farming for their livelihood, yet this woman complained that most every year the floodwaters destroy their crops.

Another homestead within Busagwa, next to the dykes along the river. Last December’s floodwaters had a devastating effect on their compound. Three of their homes were destroyed as a result, and they are still in the midst of rebuilding. 

‘Vyoo’ (latrines) are also a big problem, as the water table is only four feet deep in the area. This family said that when digging a ‘choo’ (latrine), once they hit water, they remove the water from the hole and continue digging. This is very bad, as it not only undermines the stability of the ‘choo’, but also leads to certain contamination of the groundwater, and thus drinking water.

The town center of Busagwa. We spoke with several people from the area, and ‘vyoo’ was by far the most common problem. It is too difficult to build a ‘choo’, and they usually don’t last for even a year. 

People also complained that farming is difficult due to severe variations in rainfall on account of climate change. It is hard to properly predict rainfall patterns, which dictate when a farmer should plant his crops. If they are mistaken, their crops may dry up, resulting in complete loss of their hard work and investment.

But we did talk with many people who belong to active local groups, primarily engaged in IGA (income-generating activities) such as agriculture, poultry-keeping, and savings organizations. These organizations signify a more promising side to development within the area.

Within Mubwayo, this woman points to the level to which the floodwaters reached last year. A couple houses in her compound fully collapsed as a result.

‘Vyoo’ are again a major issue here. They often last only a year, but if rains are frequent, they may even collapse after only two months. In addition to malaria and stomach ailments, many local villagers are subject to jiggers (small insects which burrow into and infect the skin). This is usually seen on the feet of children, but here, even adults suffer from them, on their hands as well.

A ‘duka’ (shop) within Mubwayo town center. This man points to the watermark left on the door from last December’s flooding. There is no good ‘choo’ within the market center, since the soil is bad and flood and rainwater often destroy them.

The market center of Mubwayo.

We ate at a ‘hoteli’, or restaurant here in town, a staple dish of ‘ugali na samaki’ (ground corn flour and fish). The ‘hoteli’ was heavily damaged by flooding. The walls were leaning at approximately seventy-degree angles, and the outer layer of concrete and mud was fully worn away. The elder woman running the ‘hoteli’ told us that the flooding destroyed her home, so her and her husband are now forced to live here in the ‘hoteli.’

I asked to use the ‘choo’ while I was there. They told me they didn’t have one, and if I use any of the nearby ‘vyoo’, the water table is so high that ‘maji itakusumbua’ (the water will annoy you). Their ‘choo’ at the ‘hoteli’ had collapsed. They then convinced their neighbor to allow them to dig one on their property, but that one promptly collapsed as well.

This resident of Mukhobola supplements his income as a farmer through basket weaving, a traditional craft in the area. If lacking food, he often trades his baskets directly for food in the neighboring district of Siaya. The flooding last December destroyed three buildings within their family compound, including the kitchen building. Now, his wife is cooking in a temporary structure they erected, pictured on the right.

A group of four women within this homestead in the village of Makunda were cooking ‘chapati’ for lunch as we chatted. Here, floodwater has reached their homes once each year since 2006. The water has reached a depth of up to six feet. This time and again destroys their housing, as well as damages their crops. So a big problem is malnutrition, especially in their children, due to the lack of a steady, nutritious diet.

A closer picture of the flood-ravaged homes within their concession. The occupants of the house pictured to the right have since abandoned it and are now living in their ‘duka’ (shop) within town.

This is another homestead we visited within Makunda, this one very near the dyke along the River Nzoia. This man raises cattle, in addition to farming, for income. But flooding has ruined his crops each of the past six years. I asked why he still continues to farm every year. He simply responded that he is hopeful. But he has switched from farming corn to vegetables, such as tomatos and ‘sukuma wiki’, which can turn a higher profit.

Floods have also reached here each of the past six years, to about 4 to 5 feet of depth, and again the damage to their housing is evident. During flood events, they are relocated to a temporary camp at a nearby school, which, being located on a small strip of high land, resembles an island in the midst of flooded land. He talked of how, when the area floods during the school year, the students who reside there are forced to return home. But many of their homes are also located within flooded areas, so they have nowhere to go. As a result, a large number of people wind up living in close quarters, leading to the rapid spread of diseases such as tuberculosis.

Past his homestead, we continued onto Lugale. The problems were very similar. Here, I went to use a ‘choo’. The water level was so high, only a foot down, that using it would mean splash back. Not fun, absolutely disgusting. So given the struggles, most people forego ‘choo’ construction entirely, and instead just use the bushes.

Monday, October 8th was the last day Austin was able to accompany me to go out into the field. We crossed the river by boat at Sigiri, then biked onto the town of Mau Mau, where we visited several homesteads and the nearby beaches of Musoma/Namabusi and Mabinju. Both of these beaches were rather small in comparison to those north of the river.

Musoma/Namabusi Beach (pictured above) does not enjoy a great, defined coastline, as do beaches north of the river. Instead, it seems to be simply a strip of land providing access to water within wetlands. But there was a good amount of activity, with people tending to boats after spending the fishing, selling fish, weaving baskets, cooking food, unloading firewood, and, of course, drying ‘omena’ (small fish similar to minnows).

The biggest problem at this beach is that there is absolutely no access to drinking water. The only source of water is the lake, but at least people we spoke to here say that no one drinks it since it is unclean. So the only option for people working at this beach is to drink a lot of water before leaving home, carry it with them, or go thirsty. There is also no ‘choo’. The town council had begun to construct one, but for some reason never completed it.

‘Vyoo’ are again the predominant problem in this area. The soil is sandy, and ‘vyoo’ regularly collapse due to rain. People mitigate the danger by keeping pits shallow, but as a result, they often fill up within six months. If people are well off, they construct the pit latrines with bricks, but this is seen as too expensive for much of the population.

There are boreholes in the area, but most people believe that the river water is cleaner. People complain that the water from boreholes is salty and dirty, because of contamination and sedimentation caused by flooding.

AIDs is ‘rampant’ here, and affects a lot of youth. This can be partially attributed to the widespread movement of people across the lake between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. There are also many young kids around ages 3-4 that are infected.

Mabinju Beach is also not directly along the Lake Victoria coastline. It seems to be along one side of a small river, which leads into the lake. A new BMU (Beach Management Unit) office and ‘banda’ (fish processing/trade center) is still under construction.

Here, the BMU members actually talked of people mostly drinking the lake water. Many treat this water, but not all. Typhoid, schistosomiasis, and malaria are common illnesses. The lake in this area is the only source of income, people generally only farm for domestic consumption.

One woman in the area told us about how her ‘choo’ had collapsed recently while her small child was using it. Luckily, she was able to save him in time.

Bunyala Stadium-Siagonjo is a small football stadium constructed by the government just outside Mau Mau three years ago, but I am told it was never completed. But it could prove to be a good resource for the community in the future.