The dried mud walls of Talai Kosgei's home are a common feature around Legetio. Bricks and stones are expensive and in short supply, so many farmers rely on the soil to construct their kitchens, if not their main houses.The majority of residents, however, have tin roofs. Talai Kosgei is one of the exceptions, and an accident last March has become a daily reminder of how dangerous that exception can be.
Talia Kosgei was out tending to her maize when she lifted her head and saw smoke. She rushed back to find the thatched roof of one of her three huts ablaze--and two of her grandchildren trapped inside. With her other ten grandkids away at school and her daughter at work, the 70-something year old widow rushed in to the blaze and pulled out her five- and one-year old grandkids to safety.
Fortunately, no one was harmed in the fire, but the family of 12 lost the hut that had served as a bedroom for the daughter and her youngest children. The family has since had to separate, with some cramming in to the second hut on their grounds and others taking shelter in what was their kitchen."Because of a lack of finances, we are stuck with these thatched houses," said Talia Kosgei through a translator. "But the thatched house is the worst. The grass doesn't prevent rain from entering, and of course there are other dangers [like the fire]."
Talia Kosgei and her daughter are farmers, planting maize and beans on a seven-acre plot and without any source of income. They are too poor to afford seeds, so they use what they called "stalk seeds," those leftover from the plant at harvest. "They germinate well, but they have a lower yield than Kenyan seeds or packaged seeds," she said. The result is four to five bags of maize in addition to a handful of beans. With 12 people living here, they need at least 12 bags, as neighboring farmer Samuel Yator explains. "12 bags or more to feed this family, but they cannot reach that standard," he said. "They normally go hungry."
Talia Kosgei believes that education will lift her grandchildren out of that hunger in the future. Her family has trouble paying school fees, but well-wishers in the community have stepped in to help. Still, even with support, they have a large balance unpaid at Lenginet Secondary School. "We are relying on education because if you get an education, you get employed, and you get a source of income," she said. "Then, I hope, their living standard would come up, and they could have a real house--what a future that would be."
