By Felix Ochieng Akech

Veterinarian Brian Ogallo, who treats livestock across Migori County, only recently moved to stop the persistent sickness in his own family, with what he now calls ‘the first medicine’ for the home, using the sun to purify drinking water.

Ogallo’s family had for years relied on a nearby stream, but the quality was poor..“The water from our stream was giving us trouble,” he said. “You fetch it and you can even see particles settling at the bottom. My children were on and off with stomach issues. I just said, ‘Aiii, this can’t continue.’ That’s when I decided to change things.”

He began with basic boiling, then slowly added other low-cost techniques after learning more from community meetings.

“I boil the water for drinking, and sometimes I add a cloth filtration step to remove the big impurities,” he explained. “When the sun is strong, I also do that SODIS method putting water in clear bottles and letting the sun cook the germs. It works, and it’s free.”

In rural parts of Migori, surface water often carries suspended dirt, organic matter and insects especially during the rainy season when runoff from farms flows into rivers and streams.

“Hapa kwetu the water can have sand, tiny leaves, even small insects especially after the rains,” Ogallo said. “Sometimes you find the water looking clean on top, but when you let it settle, you see things at the bottom like soil or algae. That’s when I knew, this water needs help before we drink it.”

The change has been dramatic for his family.

“It’s a big difference,” he said. “The kids no longer complain of stomach cramps every week. Even me, I feel safer drinking my own water. Before, you would drink and just hope for the best. Now I feel in control.”

Ogallo said it had been a mixture of peer advice and basic community training for helping him find low-cost solutions.

“A neighbour told me about boiling, but the sun method I saw from a small training at the chief’s camp,” he recalled. “They said, ‘Use what you have, the sun is free.’ That line really stayed with me.”

As a veterinarian, he is used to thinking about disease prevention in animals. Now, he says more farmers need to think the same way for their households.

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“Don’t wait until someone ends up in the hospital,” he advised. “Even if your water looks clean, impurities hide. Start with boiling or the sun method. These small steps save you big money and protect your family.”

With rising water contamination and unpredictable weather patterns across Western Kenya, “clean water is the first medicine,” said Ogolla. “Once you secure that, everything else becomes easier.”

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