Chebirir Residents Demand Action on Overflowing Sewage

Chebirir residents in Nyongores, Bomet County, are calling on the county government to take immediate action to resolve a sewage problem that has affected them for a month and is causing a public health emergency.

The overflowing sewage, which has been blocked near Bomet University College, is polluting their primary water source, the Nyongores River.

Zakayo Maritim, a village elder, stated that the blockage has caused raw sewage to overflow into residential areas where university students reside.

The waste then flows directly into the Nyongores River, which serves as the community's main source of water for domestic use.

"We have nothing else to wait for from here other than diseases," Maritim said, expressing fear that the polluted water could lead to an outbreak.

According to him, the sewage flows into the river, and with all the waste getting in without any treatment.

“The sewage flow you see flows directly to the Nyongores river, and for us, we go there again to fetch from the river since it is our primary source_ now this is risking our lives, and we are not safe from the outbreak of waterborne diseases."

Residents living closest to the affected area, including Maureen Sang, have been hit hardest. Sang says the stench from the sewage is affecting their daily lives.

"We are the most affected people here because we stay around this sewage. All the bad smell from the area comes directly to us. Over the past month, this sewage has been flowing despite our complaints about it. It is risking our lives," Sang said.

According to Caren Koech, another resident, the sewage flowing cuts across various streets of Bomet town, and the Department of Public Health and the Environment has failed to perform its duty.

“We are saying that enough is enough, most streets in Bomet town are littered and the Departments of Public Health and Environment have failed to discharge their duties, we are demanding them to perform their duties or else we get to the streets,” Koech declared.

The community blames the county government for what they call a failure to perform its duty. They say their repeated concerns have been ignored.

University students who also rely on the river for water have joined the residents in their call for action from the relevant authorities in the county.

Mr. Emmanuel, a student representative, said the governor had previously promised to construct a proper drainage system around the institution but has failed to deliver.

"The governor had promised us to construct proper drainage around here, but days have gone by and the demand has not been addressed yet," Emmanuel said.

Both the residents and students have threatened to stage a demonstration in four days if the county government does not address their concerns.

"There will be no need for us to go to the hospital and use a lot of money, as much as a hundred thousand for treatment caused by this pollution, and yet the government can address this," Emmanuel added.

The residents are appealing to the county government to address their demands as soon as possible, or else they will join hands with the students by staging demonstrations at the governor’s office next week.

“We are appealing to the governor to address our demands as soon as possible, or else we will team up with our students not only from the university but also from neighboring schools here. We want our demands to be met,” Joseph Sanga said.