Usoma village in Kisumu county has been plunged into grief following the drowning of a toddler in a water-filled sand-harvesting pit, with residents calling for urgent action to prevent further deaths.
The tragedy has also renewed concerns over dozens of abandoned pits dug years ago for sand harvesting, which residents say have remained open and fill with rainwater.
The pits have become dangerous traps for children and adults.
Elsie Adhiambo, the mother of the one-year-old victim, said the death should prompt authorities to act before another tragedy occurs.
“We would not want another mother to go through what I have gone through. We want the government to come and fill these pits because they are usually filled with water and could claim another child,” she said.
She said her kid had followed another child who went to fetch water from the open pit.
"We saw the other other two children rushing to the village saying my child had slipped into the water, we rushed there found my child inside the water, tried doing first aid before rushing her to the hospital but it was too late."
Residents said the danger could worsen during heavy rains, when the abandoned pits become filled with water.
Resident Anna Akinyi said the family initially believed the child was still alive when they rushed the baby to Kisumu County Hospital following the incident.
“We were shocked to be told that the child had died,” Akinyi said.
She said the incident should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to address the abandoned pits.
Usoma village elder Michael Maunga urged local leaders, including area MPs, to intervene and ensure the pits are filled or secured.
“We are asking our MPs to look into these pits and ensure they are filled so that we do not have another accident,” Maunga said.
Maunga said the pits were dug years ago when sand harvesting was the village's economic mainstay.
He said some parents harvested sand from portions of their homesteads to raise money for their children’s school fees.
“The pits were dug a long time ago when people were harvesting sand. Some parents could not afford to take their children to school, so they would use part of their homesteads to harvest sand and raise money,” he said.
However, the sites were never rehabilitated after sand harvesting stopped, leaving open holes that continue to collect rainwater.
“The holes were never filled. They remained open and when it rains, they fill with water,” Maunga said.
Residents said the problem is no longer simply an environmental concern but an immediate public safety risk, particularly for children who may not recognise the depth of the water or the danger posed by the pits.
They called on the government and local leaders to identify and map the abandoned pits and ensure they are filled with soil or gravel.
