As the sun dipped below the horizon over Lake Turkana, Senait Mebrehtu, an Eritrean mother, laid flowers into the water to remember her teenage daughter Hiyab, who tragically drowned while seeking asylum in Kenya. The 14-year-old lost her life during a perilous crossing last year, a journey sowed with danger as smugglers increasingly exploit new routes across the lake.
Senait, who fled religious oppression in Eritrea three years ago, ventured to northwestern Kenya to reflect on her daughter's fate, having previously arrived in Nairobi on a tourist visa with her younger children. Her two older daughters, including Hiyab, were too close to conscription age and urged their mother to help them escape. Following relatives' advice, she turned to smugglers, unknowingly sealing her daughter’s fate.
One smuggler, who agreed to speak with the BBC under anonymity, acknowledged the increasing use of Lake Turkana as a passage for desperate migrants. Gaining an estimated $1,500 for each person trafficked, she described how smugglers turned to the lake as road patrols intensified. Tragically, overloading of small boats often leads to catastrophic accidents, such as the one that claimed Hiyab's life.
Alongside witnesses, Senait condemned the smugglers for negligence, as overcrowded boats capsized during crossings. At least seven people perished amidst the treacherous waters, a grim reminder of the dangers lurking along such journeys sought by thousands fleeing Eritrea.
UN agency reports indicate that many continue to escape from the militarized country, seeking better lives across East Africa. Despite migrating through Kenya, many view it as a transitory stop, aiming for other nations like Uganda and South Africa.
The accounts of struggling families resonate deeply with Senait, who continues to mourn her daughter while expressing relief that her other daughter survived. “We have gone through what every Eritrean family is going through,” she laments, praying for divine intervention for her war-torn homeland.
