Voices of Change: Samwel from Kisii, Kenya

What is your name and where are from?

My name is Samwel Mwebi and I am from Kenya’s Kisii County.

Have you heard the term Climate change?

I hear about climate change from the news, from my friends and from articles. 

What is the climate over there?

I still remember Kisii County’s lush forests and the wide rivers Kuja and Mogusii winding through them. Our land was fertile, fed by steady rains that nourished the harvests of tea, bananas, and sugarcane that put food on families’ tables. Over the past decades things have changed tremendously.

Do you guys see any changes in the climate during past few years

Climate change has been accelerating and our forests are affected by extreme weather and human activities. Deforestation has led to less rainfall and more erosion. The once mighty rivers of Gucha and Migori are narrowing, sometimes drying up completely during droughts. Today we can no longer rely on rich soils and abundant water to sustain our crops. The staple foods in my region have suffered tremendously. Bananas have been withering in unpredictable dry spells while tea yields are dropping due to rising temperatures. Heat stress keeps damaging the plants. Hunger has also been spreading in the county as farmers’ incomes fall.

What does your family think about the climate change?

We have seen climate change and its impacts as a community. In my childhood we used to rely on two rainy seasons annually, the long rains being between March and June whereas shorter rains fell during October to December. Average temperatures in our region have also been on the rise. My neighbor’s dairy cows have been producing less milk due to heat stress. As our community is majorly grounded in agriculture, the changes have profoundly impacted our health and livelihoods.

What is your opinion on climate change, why does it occur, and what is the main cause?

Adapting to the changes is not impossible as people try to come up with ways to curb the challenge. Our family and my neighbors are planting heartier banana varieties that withstand drought. New pest-resistant tea seedlings are also being cultivated. Many other crops that were entirely rain fed are supplemented with simple irrigation techniques. What give me hope are efforts by the youth to curb deforestation and restore our environment. Local youth groups are pioneering tree nurseries to restore areas that have been degraded. Seeing seedlings being planted across the county motivates me. The transformations unfolding in Kisii offer a warning about the real dangers of climate change. My community represents a tiny fraction of the world. Yet the impacts are already severe. I fear for the future generation if action is not taken soon by the government. Our lives and way of life hang in the balance.

Discover how climate change is impacting other regions around the world