Residents worried even as swollen Lake Victoria retreats, exposing large rocks

Many residents who had lost farmland and property to the waters are beginning to wear a guarded smile.

Sandy shores and rocks which were previously under the waters are now visible on the surface.

“The rising waters forced me out of my compound in 2021, and I had to relocate with my entire family,” says James Muga who lived abandoned his three houses in a huff to move to hire grounds.

The rise in water levels saw hundreds of locals lose vast swathes of land bordering the lake.

The waters flooded farmland, destroyed homes, and displaced thousands of people in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all of which share the lake.

“Many homes were flooded from late 2019 to December 2021. It is now that the waters are slowly moving back, but much of the land still remains underwater,” Muga told Wananchi Reporting.

Most residents believe that the drop in water levels has been brought about by a prolonged period of sunshine.

According to Stephen Agombi, also a resident of Lake Victoria in Nyatike, the rising waters ate away a lot of land thereby affecting farming.

“I have lived all my life on the shores of Lake Victoria. I have never seen anything like this; water rising to these levels,” said Agombi.

According to Agombi, although the waters are receding, it is yet to return to where it was.

“I doubt the waters will return to the original shoreline as we had known it right from our childhood days. I doubt it,” added Agombi who said that many residents are avoiding building very close to the lake.  

Reports indicate that the water level in Lake Victoria rose to a new record level of 13.42 meter in May 2020, more than the 13.41-meter mark recorded in 1964.