As dusk settled over Lake Turkana, Senait Mebrehtu grieved her daughter Hiyab, who tragically drowned while attempting to cross the lake in search of safety. The poignant memorial involved the mother tossing flowers into the lake, marking the spot where her 14-year-old daughter lost her life while navigating dangerous waters alongside her sister, who was lucky enough to make it to shore.
A Pentecostal Christian from Eritrea, Senait sought asylum in Kenya three years prior, fleeing a country known for its severe religious persecution. Her journey to Lake Turkana is a painful pilgrimage to confront the tragic fate of her daughter, who undertook the perilous journey with the hope of joining Senait in a safer environment.
"My daughters would never have embarked on this dangerous journey had they known what risks lay ahead," Senait expressed in a heartfelt interview with BBC.
Originally, Senait traveled to Nairobi on a tourist visa with her two younger children but left behind her older daughters due to fears of conscription in their war-torn home country. Under Eritrea’s oppressive regime, military service can often stretch on for years, and fleeing conscripts is a desperate measure pursued by many families.
Being increasingly desperate, Senait consulted relatives who agreed to pay smugglers to facilitate the escape of her daughters. Unfortunately, this decision culminated in tragedy. The smugglers transported the girls through an arduous path over several weeks from Eritrea into Ethiopia and eventually to the shores of Lake Turkana—Africa's largest permanent desert lake.
A female smuggler who spoke to BBC under anonymity disclosed that Lake Turkana has emerged as a new, increasingly dangerous route for migrants. This "digital route," as she called it, has seen a growing number of migrants risking their lives in makeshift boats as patrols intensify on more traditional smuggling paths.
Senait's daughter Hiyab, along with her sister, attempted the crossing at night when tragedy struck as their boat capsized in dangerous waters. Witnesses described the moment, recalling how the boat failed after being overloaded and poorly managed by the smugglers. Hiyab's sister survived by clinging to the capsized vessel until help arrived.
Senait firmly blamed the traffickers for this preventable tragedy, emphasizing their negligence in overloading the boat. "They do this for money, prioritizing profit over human lives," she lamented.
During a visit to the area, fishermen reported witnessing migrant bodies washing ashore—a grim reality of the dangerous crossings currently being undertaken by those fleeing conflict and oppression in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. In June 2024, UNHCR noted a staggering 345,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in East Africa.
Legal experts and advocates highlight Kenya and Uganda's emerging role as significant destinations for those seeking asylum from the horrors in their home countries, as they flee to escape brutal military oppression. Despite the dangers, many migrants hope to reach safer havens or even use Kenya as a temporary staging ground for further travel to countries like Uganda, Rwanda, and potentially, Europe.
A smuggler revealed harrowing truths about the exploitative and inhumane practices common in their trade, including instances of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment faced by women and children. As the mother mourns, she remains aware of the complex networks that toe the line of legality, warning others against the perils of such journeys.
In Senait’s bittersweet statement, she expressed relief that her elder daughter managed to escape the smugglers unharmed. "We have endured the pain that many Eritrean families are facing today," she said. Confined within her sorrow, Senait's hope persists for a future healed from the grip of destruction and hopelessness that characterizes many lives back home.
