Gabriel Ndong’a leans against a wooden post, walking stick in hand. Beside him, a blue wooden door with faded paint hangs open, revealing a home with mud walls that have mostly washed away, leaving only exposed pillars to hold up a rusted iron roof that could collapse at any moment. Gabriel lives in Kadibo, an area in Kisumu County, Kenya, that has been devastated by recurrent flooding.
Flooding in Kisumu County is often triggered by the Nyando River overflowing during the rainy seasons. In recent years, however, increased backflow from Lake Victoria has worsened the situation, leaving large swaths of once-fertile farmland submerged, destroying infrastructure, and displacing thousands of families.
For Gabriel, who has lived in Kadibo for 30 years, the impact has been life-altering. Sitting on damp ground, ill and frail, he gazes at what used to be his prosperous farm, now a marshland. Nearby, three young boys attempt to catch mudfish in the floodwaters, which have remained long enough for fish to spawn.
“This is my ancestral land. I used to farm and raise cows here, but for the past six years, the land has been underwater – the crops were destroyed, and my animals are gone,” says Gabriel. “I’m retired, and I don’t have the money to buy land elsewhere. I cannot relocate.”
Across the landscape, houses sit abandoned and crumbling, schools and hospitals stand flooded, and what was once a productive community is now a shadow of its former self. An estimated 8,000 families in Kisumu County have been displaced by the floods, living in temporary shelters with little hope of returning to their homes.
Gabriel and his wife now reside in one of the white tents set up by aid organizations in Ogenya Israel, one of 24 tented villages scattered across Kisumu for those displaced by the flooding. Dependent on aid, he receives basic support to survive.
In response to the crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP), along with the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund and UNOPS, partnered with the County Government of Kisumu to provide cash transfers of 5,000 shillings (around $40) a month for two months to nearly 3,000 flood-affected households.
Linet Atieno is another resident affected by the floods. In her makeshift home, partially constructed from iron sheets donated by the local government, she sits watching maize drying on a tarp outside. The maize is from a bag she purchased with her cash transfer.
“I used to make a living by selling mats made of papyrus reeds, while my husband farmed and kept animals. But now the lake has overflown so much that I cannot even access the reeds, and our cropland is underwater,” Linet explains. Her husband has turned to fishing, but it is hard on his health, and reliable catches are not always guaranteed.
Providing food for her family has become increasingly difficult. “Before the floods, we grew our own food – maize, pumpkins, cassava, sweet potatoes – and we had cows for milk. We could eat anything we wanted. Now, we’re lucky if we get two meals a day. For breakfast, we have strong tea or porridge, and for dinner, we eat ugali with omena,” says Linet.
The cash transfers have provided a lifeline, helping families meet their basic needs for food, healthcare, and education, and in some cases, offering a chance to rebuild their lives.
Dorcas Adhiambo used the money to buy maize meal for her family, pay part of her grandchildren’s school fees, and restock her grocery stall with eggs, kale, tomatoes, and cabbage. “What I need now is more capital to boost my business,” she says.
Joyce Akinyi, a small kiosk owner, shares a similar story. Floods wiped out her farm and home four years ago, forcing her to start over. Using the cash transfer funds, she has begun to restock her kiosk and hopes to rebuild her life.
“After losing everything, I had to find a way to feed and educate my children,” Joyce says. “I hope that one day, this small business will help me rebuild my house.”
In the face of overwhelming loss, these families are finding ways to survive, though rebuilding will take time. With the help of cash transfers and support from aid organizations, many are hoping for a future where they can reclaim what was lost to the floods.
Additional reporting and photos by UNOP