BY MANUEL ODENY
Migori governor Ochillo Ayacko administration has moved in after residents along river Oyani complained over environment degradation over a World Bank project.
Ayacko through the Water and energy Chief Officer Rhoda Nchagwa along with the department technical staff visited the Oyani Water intake area after Nyanza News highlighted the plight.
The meeting assessed the multi-billion scheme, designed to supply water to Migori and its surrounding areas but rendered local lands unusable for farming during the rainy seasons over the years.
“After the meeting we already sent residents to local water body to work out on ways of rehabilitating the project and we will seek budget allocation to make it better.” Nchagwa said.
She said a meeting at the project’s intake involved local community members.
“Ayacko has sent u and already we have moved to Kisumu to ensure the area is rehabiliated,” she said.
She was speaking to Nyanza News in her office in Migori town.
Alfred Mudeizi, a local said the meeting and gesture by Ayacko was positive and it shows local leaders will help them seek redress from Kisumu water body.
“Our plight is not political and we seek redress as South Kanyamkago residents at a point where River Oyani has changed cause,” he said.
South Kanyamkago ward residents in Migori county are counting loses of farm land and property after a multi-billion water project by African Development Bank turned into an eye-sore.
Over a decade ago, over Sh1.29billion water project was initiated to draw water from River Oyani in Uriri su-county, treat it before supplying Migori town with the precious comodity.
But 44 homesteads around Oyani river have moved to court to seek compensation complaining of negative effects on the environment which they said was caused by lack of public participation.
“For over a decade while others have been benefiting from this project in South Kanyamkago we have seen the intake area flooding and breaking with concrete pipes leaking turning our farms into useless land,” Mudeizi said.
