A section of Mwingi locals from Kasten area of Nguni ward, Mwingi Central walk over eight hours to fetch water at River Enziu after their only source of water dried up.
Initially, the locals depended on the Kasten earth dam but the water source dried up in February this year following inadequate rainfall.
"River Enziu is tens of kilometres from here but we have no option than to spend a whole day or night looking for water," Tabitha Muli, a local said
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She said the other option is to buy a jerrican of water at Ksh 50 from vendors who sell water boozers which are very expensive.
Muli said the dry earth dam was very key to the locals who used the water for domestic purposes and have been left trekking tens of kilometres to look for water.
PHOTO/Linah Musangi
"We camp at River Enziu overnight awaiting to fetch water at the seasonal river where so many people camp," she said
School-going children have been highly affected by the acute water shortage and most have stopped going to school," she added.
"Some schools require learners to show up in school carrying water but the children cannot walk all of those kilometres to go fetch water," Regina Mwanza, another local narrated.
She said others have been forced to skip school to go look for water.
Monica Kanini, another local stated that mothers with newborn babies have had a cumbersome period during this time.
Kanini said the water challenge has also accelerated famine in the area.
"Young children wake up to nothing edible after women spend the whole night looking for water," she said.
They called on the county government to intervene and rehabilitate the existing three earth dams in the area to save them from the acute water shortage.
She reiterated their last harvest was in 2017 and in the other years, very minimal rainfall has been experienced in the area.
