KISUMU, Kenya, Mar 8 – With long rains looming in western Kenya, efforts are underway to clog river mouths and build dykes to mitigate the effects of flooding in Kisumu.

The initiative, a personal effort of Kisumu Central MP Hon Joshua Oron, has seen the backfilling of River Nyamasaria.

The river has been the source of flooding displacing thousands of residents of Nyalenda slums annually.

Moses Achola, a resident of Kapuothe in Nyalenda says raising the river banks is the surest way to deal with flooding in the lower stream.

Achola says over the years, they have been forced outside their houses, losing property to the raging floods.

“Putting dykes brought hope to us that this year we will not abandon our houses when it rains,” he said.

He says the earlier preparations being employed along the river banks is a shift from the past.

“This will hold and I am certain that those living down the stream will not be affected by these floods,” he said.

In the past, he said, authorities were rushing with knee jack measures, when it was late.

MP Oron, has employed a team of young people, working with bulldozers to clean the river of debris to allow for free flow of water when it rains as it empties into Lake Victoria.

“We are putting a strong dyke along this River Nyamasaria, this spot has been the cause of flooding downstream,” said John Mandela, overseeing the works.

Sarah Adhiambo recounted how the flood water had reduced her to zero, demolishing her house.

Adhiambo says she is optimistic that the effect of flooding will be reduced this year as a result of the steps taken to address the root cause.

“I am just thankful to those behind this initiative, in the long run it will cushion us from the perennial sufferings whenever it rains,” she said.

In the recent past, the MP had promised residents of Kapuothe that he will address the flooding menace once and for all.

The city management had threatened to move out the residents from the affected area and relocate them elsewhere, a move that was opposed.

An elderly person, Francis Ogonda, says they will not move out of their land, where they were born.

Ogonda says their farming land has been invaded by floods and the efforts to tame the rising river level will help protect their crops.

“We are going back to tilt our land with the hope that our crops will not be washed away into the lake,” he said.