The national government has been urged to install lightning arresters in various parts of Teso North and South sub counties to avert more tragedies caused by lightning in the area. The appeal has been made by Busia County woman representative Florence Mutua after visiting the family of a form one girl student who was struck to death by lightning at their home at Okook village in Teso South one week ago.
Lydia Emwatok Esirom, a form one student at St. Mark Machakus was airing her school uniforms outside their house on the evening of 16th October when lightning struck her, killing her on the spot alongside their cow and its one-month old calf. Mutua has regretted that nothing has been done despite several people dying as a result of lightning strikes in the area over the years, “It is very sad. The pain the family is going through after losing their daughter is unbearable. I want to call upon the government to do mapping and install lightning arresters in this area because those incidences area enough to show that this area is prone to thunderstorm and lightning. I should be here to help raise fees for this girl to go to school and not to raise money to buy her casket.”
Mutua has also called on Busia County leaders to join hands and help the less privileged in the society, “Many of our people are really suffering in villages. There is also a woman who died after her house fell on her at Kotur. It is so sad. Let us leaders come together and help our people to avert such unnecessary deaths. Let our people die at the right age of seventy years and above and not prematurely like this.”
The deceased’s mother Jesca Amoit has joined hands with other family members to make appeal to other leaders including Busia County Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and Teso South MP Geoffrey Omuse to come to their aid and help them in the burial plans, “We totally have no money even to buy casket and food for mourners. We appeal to other leaders to help us bury her. We have planned burial on 2nd November 2019 but we still have no money.”
In the meantime, Mutua has also decried escalating cases of insecurity in the county especially in Nambale, Matayos and Butula where three people including a bodaboda operator, a bar maid and a standard eight pupil at Mundika Boys primary were killed one week ago by thugs, “I call upon our security officers to investigate and apprehend those who are orchestrating the killings. Let them ensure our people are safe.”