Writes Leo Odera Omolo.
AFTER long period of drought that had threatened the lives of millions of Kenyans and their livestock, particularly those living in the semi-arid region in Northern part of the country, the long rains have finally arrived, but have also brought calamities and natural disaster disasters.
It has arrived in time for the farmers to plant their farms in most part of Western Kenya and highlands west of the Rift Valley.
Two children were killed while herding their family cattle in Nkoreta area of Narok County in the South Rift while score of high school girls student at Lwanya Girls Secondary School in Busia County in Western Province narrowly escaped death when the institute was hit by thunderbolt late on Sunday during heavy downpour.
Narok Officer Commanding the Police Division {OCPD} Peterson Maelo confirmed that the incident occurred when several children were sheltering under a huge and tall tree during the stormy rains.
“It was raining heavily when the children who were looking after cattle in the open field decided to shelter under the tree and were struck by lightning killing two of them on the sport and injuring scores of other,” said Maelo.
The police boss said children were from different families. He urged the parents to advise their children against taking shelter under the trees when it rains. “The tree being the tallest object in a given place is always the target attracting the lightning”, he added.
The bodies of the victim were taken to Narok district waiting for the postmortem examination.
The area civic leaders led by their chairman Stephen Tronaiyan who visited the bereaved families, and announced that they will with effect from tomorrow hold a youth forum to be organized by NGO. And the agenda will include sensitizing and teaching the young people about the natural calamities and disaster like floods and lightning.
The meeting will offer the youth’s free education on how to protect themselves against the natural calamities, especially o the danger about lightning which has been so prevalent in the area, particularly during the rainy seasons after a long time of dry spells.
In another near disaster, but unrelated incident, lightning struck Lwanya Girls Secondary School injuring three girls in Busia County, Western Province during the late afternoon down-pour, which was accompanied by storms. The school is situated close to the Kenya-Uganda border.
Doctors at Busia district Hospital where the three students have been admitted for treatment and observation said the girls are in stable condition and are out of danger.
The PPO in Western Province Benson Kibui has urged the schools management to install lightning arrestors to ensure the safety of students.
He said the students had narrowly escaped death because they were not hurdled together.
Two months ago four pupils were strike dead in Nandi while they were playing football.
Last year alone close to 100 Kenyans lost their lives in lightning incidents while property worth thousands of shilling were destroyed or damaged beyond repair..
In Africa, Zimbabwe is leading followed by the neighboring Zambia with the largest figure of deaths caused by lightning every year. The deaths are moderately estimated to be between 180 and 200 in the two neighboring countries.
In Kenya more incidents of deaths are reported in Wstern Keya regions of the North and South Rift, Bungoma,Busia, Siaya,Kisumu, Kisii region and Southern Nyanza.
ends