Lake Ol Bolossat in Nyandarua. [File, Standard] Rainy seasons in Kenya have become synonymous with flooding, displacement, damaged roads, and an inevitable question: What went wrong? We often blame “unusual weather” and climate change. But the truth is less comfortable. In many cases, the water is simply returning to where it has always belonged, wetlands and floodplains that have been ignored, reclaimed, or built over. Across much of the country, wetlands are still viewed as idle land. Swamps are drained, riverbanks encroached upon, floodplains developed, and mangroves cleared for short-term gains. These actions are rarely labelled as wetland destruction, yet…
Author: By Abdul Hazeez
Lake Ol Bolossat in Nyandarua. [File, Standard] Rainy seasons in Kenya have become synonymous with flooding, displacement, damaged roads, and an inevitable question: What went wrong? We often blame “unusual weather” and climate change. But the truth is less comfortable. In many cases, the water is simply returning to where it has always belonged, wetlands and floodplains that have been ignored, reclaimed, or built over. Across much of the country, wetlands are still viewed as idle land. Swamps are drained, riverbanks encroached upon, floodplains developed, and mangroves cleared for short-term gains. These actions are rarely labelled as wetland destruction, yet…