Page 80 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 27 Final
P. 80
Community
depression, and social dysfunction because pray for insight. Hongera to the grassroots
of the past natural disasters and our current organizations for mobilizing contributions
situation. towards the affected in places like Mathare,
Kibra, Mukuru, and others. Ubuntu!
Agano informed me that the situation is
worse because of an overflow of a dam As a parent, it is unimaginable to think
upstream owned by a large-scale farmer. about the agony parents are going through
Her comments were, “We have had severe because of the floods. Our current social
losses and mental health cases of distress interventions are a great starting point as
that led to mental disorders and psycho- many are working to save lives. A call to
pathologies in my community due to losses push beyond and ask ourselves “Why are
caused by the dam in the past”. This family we here experiencing the same challenge
has experienced distress in the past and they that has occurred over 20 times since
are facing the same now, wondering why independence?”
the land and the skies cannot align for their
good. Is the issue about the land and skies We also need to ask ourselves “How can we
not aligning, or is it human interference determine the extent of the psychological
messing up with the unforgiving nature as distress people are experiencing following
the farmer enjoys elevated land and others natural disasters as one of the sources of our
build on wetlands? social collective trauma?” My friend’s family
Cries are heard from people living in is currently displaced and poverty has struck
informal settlements. It is tragic how many the community due to such experiences.
have been displaced while others are losing Sadly, news of most of these experiences is
their lives in the process. These floods have delivered orally. We have not documented in
exceeded the most commonly historically most parts of the country the severity of the
affected floodplains of the major rivers such floods, which must be our guide for future
as the lower Tana River, the lower Nzoia preparation. Very little is known in detail
River at Budalang’i Plains, and the lower about the affected villages in our country
Nyando River at Kano Plains by distressing where such information is available, such as
21 of the 47 counties. water depth. In addition, as a friend shared,
we have had mudslides in the affected areas,
As the law of nature has it, floods do not leading to loss of life, possessions, and
discriminate and therefore urban and rural communal life as a whole.
areas are equally affected and Kenyans are
poking fun as a way to ease the pain of the We should rally together as we did with the
floods. It was good for the government to Kenyan constitution where resources were
suggest the idea of having the affected move pulled together, and history was honored as
to the land belonging to the National Youth a path to our national True North. Floods
Service as rescue measures continue and we have ravaged us beyond our independence.
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