How does your kivanda mistreat Izava River?

Once upon a time Izava river flowed crystal clean, undisturbed and hosted fish among other animals. This was when Murogoli still lived in Mungoma. Then with time, as children were born unto his sons, we presently have a brown, reducing flow and poisonous water for our cattle and selves. It started when posho mills were first run by water.

Izava river may not be passing by your place but the streams there are its feeders. How well do you take care of them?

Kivanda is the traditional maragoli place where the farm meets the river. The place is known for growing trees and fetching firewood. Of recent, new developments along the river are affecting its life as Mr. Francis, director of VICODEC observes.

Maragoli is aesthesized by River Izava and the tributaries that feed it. Vidaho, water fetching springs are the main feeders. River Yala passes on the North boundary between Vihiga and Kakamega counties. The county’s water shed is a reflection of where the river flows.

One day we went swimming mukivanda cha masimba on your way from Sabatia to Mudungu. We were welcomed by a red river whose change was as a result of mass fishing called musengeri. Musengeri is a concoction of bitter herbs that they said made fish drunk and float with water. Then nets and baskets waited the harvest at some point along the river. Emotions! No child can now go with a hook to the river for there is nothing. Not even crabs.

Pollution of the river sometimes back was not hazardous for the river could clean itself along the way. Children swimming and sometimes urinating with a few songs to ‘cleanse’ themselves would have least effects compared to the tea fertilizers and erosion that now forms part of the river.

And this is the song that we sang before urinating near the river;

Rikere rinyaraa masai                    Frog urinates blood

Inzi nzinyaraa mazi                         Me urinates water

Presently people have invested in commercial eucalyptus growing along the river and the rate by which those trees are taking in water and wasting it away through their many leaves is sickening. First, those leaves in large quantities find themselves in the river, rotting, altering its pH. The trees reduce the water table by their rate of water comsumption. They should not be found in less than a radius of 50M from the river bank just as no activity should go on near the river bank by at least 30M radius.

Two old men stood by the river on the bridge that connects Viyalo to Demesi (Mbale) looking at its flow. As we were talking on issues to do with clans and history, a drunken youth came along and they started asking him whether he sees the effect of the river on his land. A sump of land had fallen in the river and they told him to plant trees. Looking well, there were natural vegetation by the side that the man ploughed. The advise he was given is not right. Let the river be.

Down in Emuhaya the locals term the river Ichava, a corruption of Izava. Looking from Daraja tatu, there is a slanting piece of land where the owner has cultivated maize to the river. Imagine! Where does the fertilizers go to when it rain? It leaches top the river. And when our cows drink the water they grow hollow, poor and malnourished. Ever seen the cows in Vihiga county?

There is a car wash place at Lunyerere bridge to Chavakali from Mbale. It is just 5 metres from the river. Its soaps and dirt join the pollution of sand harvesters. The flow of the river at that point is same as it was in Losengeli despite so many feeders on the way. Each day Izava complains. One day it might give up, and what a ridge we will have to extend our shambas!

It is not yet late because sewage lines haven’t been directed there. We can take the river to what it was when the white man came even if it will entail brushing with a few shoulders. The old people say that Izava was a beautiful river, of a crescent glow, unpolluted.