The Ewaso Nyiro River, flowing from the central highlands of Kenya from Mount Kenya, and the Aberdare Ranges, breathes life across 210,000 square kilometre (km²) of arid and semi-arid lands. For the Waso Boran communities of Merti Sub-County in Isiolo, the river is sacred — a nurturing mother, provider of water for people, livestock, smallholder farming, and biodiversity. But she has become volatile. In recent years, severe land degradation, invasive species like Prosopis juliflora, and climate change have turned the once-gentle river into a raging flood threat. As deforestation and erosion worsen, so does the river’s fury.   From April 2024, the Ewaso Nyiro River overflowed its banks at Godh Rupa and Malka Funan, leaving 763 households displaced in Merti Sub-County, with Merti town particularly hard hit, seeing 570 families rendered homeless. Sericho and parts of Garbatula at Malka Daka-Gafarsa area were also cut off as the river changed its course, and several boreholes and schools were severely affected. The entire village of Iresaboru had to be relocated to a new area, while Badana village remains inaccessible and marooned. These repeated natural disasters, characterized by submerged bridges, cut-off communities, destroyed homes, and loss of livelihoods, have instilled a profound sense of fear and urgency among the people of Merti. Rather…