Inside The Mount Elgon Caves: Story of Families Staying in Caves After Eviction By The Government

After being evicted around 4 years ago, over 100 families opted to settle in caves. For the very first time,  Look up Digital takes a journey into the caves to understand the state of the families.

Nancy Chemtai, a mother of four, told  Look up Digital that since she was evicted from her home she has lived a miserable life in the grottoes.

Chemtai narrates that they lost everything during their eviction from the timber houses as the police used a scorched earth policy to move them.

“My house and all things were burned during the drive and pull with the police to vacate the timber, ” she noted.  

Chemtai says that at night, they find it hard to sleep as the grottoes are raided by wild creatures.  

“ One day I was nearly attacked by a wild canine that had come to the  grottoes to look for food, our babies are in peril, ” she said.  

Chemtai added that the county government and other agencies giving foodstuffs to them isn't enough but should instead get them a place to settle and give them land to cultivate rather than being given foodstuffs in caves. 

There have been unending challenges in health, and mothers have lost babies due to the conditions inside the caves.

Kipruto who is in charge of the shamba system in Cheptias states noted that since the families were evicted there have been huge figures of academy drop-outs. 

Bungoma County NEMA director Vincent Mahiva and his Kenya Forest Service counterpart George Wara say that they're determined to revive the Mt Elgon timber hence the eviction.

Mahiva told Look up Digital that continued deforestation and husbandry in the wood are a trouble to underground water arguing that the timber is a source of water for gutters in Kenya and Uganda.  

On Saturday 18 February 2023, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka flagged off foodstuffs to the families staying in Mt. Elgon grottoes.  

In an Interview with the press on Saturday, Lusaka said that this was the first batch of the donation adding that his administration will continue supporting the vulnerable families abiding in the grottoes.  

Lusaka noted that he's in addresses with other leaders to find a long lasting solution. 

“Those staying in the grottoes are residents of this great county that's why I've taken necessary actions to support them and feel part of my government, this is just the first batch of the donation, we're still engaging other people to come on board and get a  continuing result, ” Lusaka said.    

The Bungoma Governor called on those he assigned the disbursement duty to ensure that the foodstuff gets to the targeted groups in Mt Elgon adding that it'll be an ongoing program in his administration.  

Bungoma being one of the food baskets for the country, Lusaka affirmed that in the coming weeks his administration will supply fertilizer to farmers as planting season approaches. 

The foodstuffs distributed include sludge, sap,cooking oil painting, sugar, tea leaves, Unga Ngano among other particulars.

Parents staying with their girls in grottoes have been called upon to be keen on them not to forestall the rampant unwanted gravidity in the region.  

“Please let us encourage our girls to be in the academy, the Lusaka administration has promised to support those who perform well in class, and educate the girl child for a better society, ” Wanyonyi noted.  

Wanyonyi lauded Bungoma County first lady Margaret Lusaka for her immense support towards the starving delve families. 

Ken Kipruto, in charge of the shamba system in Cheptias Mt Elgon, lauded the move by governor Lusaka’s administration calling on the area leaders to find an indispensable place where the families can settle.