Water is life. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the freshwater on the Earth. 98 per cent of Kenya's agriculture is rain-fed.
Kanjoo community being an agricultural community, access to sufficient water for farming purposes is key. And especially water for irrigation of the Miraa cash crop. However, Kenya’s weather patterns are changing. Kenya has just emerged from a prolonged dry spell marked by five failed consecutive rainy seasons which decimated access to water for irrigation.
Though the Kenya Meteorological Department had predicted there would be El Nino rains, the onset of the October-December rains was a bunch of joy for all farmers in Kenya. Simply because the rains hit the ground in considerable measures. There was 100% seed germination. Smells of a bountiful harvest. Replenishment of the water table. Thus, increased flow on the rivers, springs, water catchment areas and wells. Net impact, increased access to water for irrigation during the dry season.
However, as days progressed the rain intensity became extremely high. Rivers started flooding. Most rivers in Kanjoo lack bridges. People have to cross the rivers by walking through the flooded rivers. Candidates who had to cross a river to access school for the national exams had a rough 3-week period. Some days they had to wait for the water levels to subside, which saw them get late for the exams. Recently, 2 kids from Mwomwere Lower village were swept by the Mutuntu river into Meru National Park. Luckily, they were saved by KWS officers. Crop growth has become stunted due to lack of enough sunlight. In a few places, crops have been swept away.
Roads have become impassable, making transportation a nightmare. Most of the ongoing infrastructure development projects have been paused because of difficulties in transporting construction materials. An ongoing toilet blocks construction project at NAC-Nkiri primary school by THI was paused at the painting stage because of the rains. If painted with this weather, the paint would start to peel off within a very short time.
