Tana Has the Gift of Life But Within It Also Lurks Death

Mark Agutu

29 June 2011

Nairobi — As the Nile is to Egypt, so is the Tana to Eastern Kenya — the fount of life itself.

Its waters quench the people’s thirsts and that of their vast herds of cattle and camels while at the same time provide them with food — fish and crops from farms irrigated by the waters.

But in the depths of the waters also lurk the danger of crocodiles which have killed and maimed many.

Stretching some 708 kms, River Tana is the country’s largest and longest river and boasts of a catchment area of nearly 100,000 square kilometres.

Its meandering course which starts within the Aberdare ranges and Mount Kenya sees it pass through diverse climatic conditions and all forms of terrain that dictate the use to which its waters are put.

Upstream, the river is harnessed to provide water for Nairobi through the Sasumua Dam, then it plunges over the Seven Forks at Kindaruma to generate electricity before moving on to irrigate the lush rice fields of Embu.

However, from the moment its waters reach the region that is now Tana River County until it drains into the Indian Ocean at Kipini, the river becomes the embodiment of life for thousands of residents.

“Without River Tana, there is no life here,” said Mzee Mgawa Maro Guyo as he tours his river bank farm at Dumi Kachagwe in Garsen.

The sentiments are shared by Mr Ben Masawe, the Bura Irrigation Scheme Manager, at Bura some 120 kilometres to the north.

“Without Tana River, Bura and Hola irrigation schemes and all the good things they envisage would not be here. As you can see, Tana River is the only source of our irrigation water,” he said.

Lower down the river’s delta, a major bell-mouthed point at Gamba routes the river to the expansive Tana Delta Irrigation Project farms managed by Tana and Athi River Development Authority.

However, even the best of gifts has a downside and Tana River is no exception. For a good number of the county residents, the river has been a source of great misery.

It is responsible for the annual floods. The deluge usually caused by heavy rains forces locals to leave their homes and move to higher grounds.

In the process, they at times lose their lives but most of the time it is the food crops in the farms that bear the brunt of the deluge.

For residents who live on the river banks, the Tana brings with it another menace — crocodiles. Many are the families whose loved ones have been devoured by these monsters. Almost every village along the river bears the scars of crocodile attacks.

For Mama Isnin Habiba Wayamu, 65, not even time, that healer of wounds, has helped her overcome the tragic loss of her beloved son nine years ago.

Tears well in her eyes as she recalls her last moments with her son Abdirahman Wayamu, in 2002.

“He woke up as usual and after the morning chores at home, went out to herd our goats in the field,” she begins bravely, prompted by fellow villagers.

As she saw him drive out the family goats, Mama Habiba had no idea that would be the last time she was seeing Abdirahman, then aged 15.

He was devoured by the reptile as he took a bath after watering the animals. For Mama Habiba, the fact that she could not recover her son’s body for a decent burial only adds more layers to her agony.

Hers is just of the sad tales emerging from the villages straddling the banks of the Tana, whose waters teem with the marauding crocodiles.

In the same Danisa A village in Garsen division, Mzee Guyo Abadhadh too is still mourning the loss of his eldest daughter some seven years back.

The attacks have shown no signs of abating.

Attacks sharply risen

In April last year, Mama Hewo Omar was left to bring up three grandchildren after a crocodile seized her daughter Huko Habechu, as she fetched water at Bilisa village in Garsen.

In the same village, Mrs Dhiramu Batefu, wife of Batefu Hanti, aged 40, had been killed a week earlier. She left behind five children.

According to the residents of Bilisa and Hurera villagers, the crocodile attacks have sharply risen in the last one year, with six people killed and those lucky to escape doing so only with serious injuries.

Villagers accuse the Kenya Wildlife Service of not only failing to do much to check the attacks but ensuring prompt compensation for the deaths and injuries.

KWS communications manager Paul Udoto said the service did not envisage delays in processing compensation claims once proper channels are followed.

“We really have no reason to withhold compensation and delays of more than a few weeks are not anticipated,” he said.

And he added: “We strive to make compensation available in good time not only as a procedure but also in appreciation of the role the community plays in conservation of the wildlife that live in their neighbourhood.”

AllAfrica – All the Time