Nyando – Amidst recurrent flooding in Kisumu County, Joseph Nyikal from Kawino South location has chosen an unconventional survival strategy. Instead of joining his neighbors in evacuation camps, Nyikal has built and now resides in a treehouse, overlooking the floodwaters that have submerged his village.

According to Kenya News Agency, this method of housing allows him to stay on his ancestral land despite the rising water levels of Lake Victoria, which have displaced over 40,000 households in the region since March. His treehouse, constructed from locally sourced materials including hardwood and corrugated iron sheets, cost about Sh8,000 and is supported by two trees within his flooded compound.

Nyikal’s innovative response to the annual floods, which have increased in frequency and intensity due to climate change, reflects a traditional coping mechanism. The structure not only offers him a place to safeguard his remaining possessions but also keeps him above the water level, which in some places in the surrounding area reaches over waist-high.

Despite his determination to remain, Nyikal’s living situation has forced him to relocate his wife and four children to safer grounds, where even those areas have recently suffered from flooding. The local chief, Michael Buodoh, and the Kisumu County Director of Environment and Climate Change, Martin Oloo, have expressed concerns about the safety of such living arrangements and have advocated for more sustainable housing solutions, including elevated and mobile homes.

The Kenya Red Cross Society, through its Nyanza Regional Coordinator Maurice Anyango, has confirmed the dire situation in the region, noting the extensive damage to property and livelihoods, particularly among rice farmers. Anyango emphasized the urgent need for community support and rehabilitation once the floodwaters recede.

Nyikal’s plight is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by communities in flood-prone regions of Lake Victoria Basin, calling for comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of such natural disasters on vulnerable populations.