Christopher Omondi.
River Auji, which is in Kisumu County and also an inlet into Lake Victoria has lately faced pollution from industries and locals. There are calls for its desilting as a result of the water hyacinth, plastic waste and other solid waste which have led to blockages. The consequence is the pollution of Lake Victoria and the infestation of insects and as a result diseases are born. In addition to that the wastes, the pollution leads to the rise in the riverbed and thus a reduction in its capacity and this is majorly due to siltation .
Most parts of the desilting are majorly done by Community-Based Organizations, local youth groups and contractors, with entities such as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) offering guidance to the clean up and restoration of River Auji,
There have been calls from locals for the County government to conduct a mass desilting to remove both the hard and soft particles and ensure consistent and regular desilting to help with the restoration and cleaning of the River. “The main problem with this River Auji is that it passes through almost all the big slums in Migosi, Manyatta and Nyalenda and thus a lot of waste is thrown or find its way into the River, and thus we need a regular desilting program that will ensure this River is cleaned from its source after a specific period of time. We also need the support of the government as the youth group is doing a good job but with a low budget plus the Community-Based Organizations only clean up the parts of the River that is in their area yet we need a complete desilting of the entire river, which only the county can afford’’, shares Nicholas Oluoch.
In other areas, the River Auji has made flooding worse, especially during rainy seasons, with the most affected being the residents of Manyatta B and Kassaga,m who are also calling for consideration as the September rains are approaching. “Its already late but desilting work was much needed, mostly as we approach the rainy seasons, these areas of Kassagam are greatly affected as it becomes too swampy when it rains because of failed flood mitigation from responsible bodies, and thus exposure to water-borne diseases, which are always rampant in these areas during these periods’’ shared Mr. Churchil Odhiambo.
The County government of Kisumu has taken some measures to aid in desilting River Auji, including an initiative under the Generation Ecosystem restoration in collaboration with Nyalenda’s United Destiny Shapers CBO to restore biodiversity along River Auji through nature-based solutions, which took place on 25th April 2025. The main activities were the planting of trees, bamboo, and Napier grass along the River Auji banks, but this only happened in Nyalenda, whereas we need to take care of the entire river. For now, it remains to be seen whether a complete desilting of River Auji from its source in lower Migosi to Lake Victoria will ever happen.
