In a heart-wrenching story of loss and desperation, Senait Mebrehtu visits Lake Turkana to mourn her 14-year-old daughter, who drowned while attempting to migrate to Kenya. The grim realities of migrant smuggling in the region are laid bear as traffickers turn to perilous waterways.
Mourning a Daughter: The Tragedy of Smuggling Across Lake Turkana
Mourning a Daughter: The Tragedy of Smuggling Across Lake Turkana
A mother laments the loss of her daughter amidst the dangers of human trafficking in East Africa.
As the sun set over Lake Turkana, a bereaved mother stood by the water’s edge, tears streaming down her face as she cast flowers into the rippling greenish-blue depths—a poignant tribute to her teenage daughter, Hiyab, who tragically drowned in a bid to reach Kenya. Senait Mebrehtu, a 41-year-old Eritrean Pentecostal Christian who sought asylum in Kenya three years earlier, journeyed to the northwest of Kenya to confront the site of her daughter's death.
Last year, 14-year-old Hiyab, accompanied by her sister, attempted to traverse the dangerous waters of the lake, an increasingly popular crossing route exploited by human smugglers. "If the smugglers had informed me of the great dangers lurking at Lake Turkana, I would have never allowed my children to undertake such a perilous journey," she told the BBC, engulfed in grief as she recalled the harrowing ordeal that cost her daughter her life.
Senait left Eritrea under the threat of religious persecution, traveling on a tourist visa to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, while prohibiting her two older daughters from accompanying her due to their proximity to military conscription age in a country notorious for prolonged national service and forced labor. After much deliberation, she allowed Hiyab and her sister to be smuggled out of Eritrea, believing it to be their safest option.
A local female smuggler confirmed that Lake Turkana has gained notoriety as a "digital route," highlighting a shift in operations amid intensified law enforcement on Kenya's roads. She claimed to charge roughly $1,500 for each person, an exorbitant fee compared to the average income of a Kenyan worker. For over 15 years, she has been entrenched in a network facilitating the movement of migrants fleeing Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
As the dangerous crossing unfolded last year, witness accounts from other Eritrean migrants detailed the tragic capsizing of Hiyab's boat due to overcrowding, resulting in multiple fatalities including that of her sister's companion. Senait expressed outrage against the smugglers, insisting negligence led to the deaths caused by an overburdened vessel that blatantly disregarded safety.
Reports from the region indicate recurrent discoveries of bodies floating in the lake, a grim testament to the human cost of smuggling. Data from the UN Refugee Agency illustrates that as of June 2024, there are approximately 345,000 Eritrean refugees currently residing in East Africa, prompting many to seek refuge in nations like Kenya and Uganda amidst escalating conflict in neighboring countries.
Refugee advocacy groups criticize the plight of these migrants, often subjected to exploitation during their perilous journey. Seemingly immune to the tragedy, smugglers treat migration as a lucrative business, offering no consideration for the lives lost or the families left behind. Survivors reveal harrowing tales of exploitation, with women often falling prey to various forms of abuse.
Despite the unbearable pain stemming from their losses, Senait was relieved her elder daughter was unharmed, yet she lamented the tragedy still woven into the fabric of Eritrean lives. "We have endured what so many families in Eritrea are facing,” she mourned, concluding with a heartfelt plea: “May we see an end to this sorrow and find freedom at last.”
Last year, 14-year-old Hiyab, accompanied by her sister, attempted to traverse the dangerous waters of the lake, an increasingly popular crossing route exploited by human smugglers. "If the smugglers had informed me of the great dangers lurking at Lake Turkana, I would have never allowed my children to undertake such a perilous journey," she told the BBC, engulfed in grief as she recalled the harrowing ordeal that cost her daughter her life.
Senait left Eritrea under the threat of religious persecution, traveling on a tourist visa to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, while prohibiting her two older daughters from accompanying her due to their proximity to military conscription age in a country notorious for prolonged national service and forced labor. After much deliberation, she allowed Hiyab and her sister to be smuggled out of Eritrea, believing it to be their safest option.
A local female smuggler confirmed that Lake Turkana has gained notoriety as a "digital route," highlighting a shift in operations amid intensified law enforcement on Kenya's roads. She claimed to charge roughly $1,500 for each person, an exorbitant fee compared to the average income of a Kenyan worker. For over 15 years, she has been entrenched in a network facilitating the movement of migrants fleeing Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
As the dangerous crossing unfolded last year, witness accounts from other Eritrean migrants detailed the tragic capsizing of Hiyab's boat due to overcrowding, resulting in multiple fatalities including that of her sister's companion. Senait expressed outrage against the smugglers, insisting negligence led to the deaths caused by an overburdened vessel that blatantly disregarded safety.
Reports from the region indicate recurrent discoveries of bodies floating in the lake, a grim testament to the human cost of smuggling. Data from the UN Refugee Agency illustrates that as of June 2024, there are approximately 345,000 Eritrean refugees currently residing in East Africa, prompting many to seek refuge in nations like Kenya and Uganda amidst escalating conflict in neighboring countries.
Refugee advocacy groups criticize the plight of these migrants, often subjected to exploitation during their perilous journey. Seemingly immune to the tragedy, smugglers treat migration as a lucrative business, offering no consideration for the lives lost or the families left behind. Survivors reveal harrowing tales of exploitation, with women often falling prey to various forms of abuse.
Despite the unbearable pain stemming from their losses, Senait was relieved her elder daughter was unharmed, yet she lamented the tragedy still woven into the fabric of Eritrean lives. "We have endured what so many families in Eritrea are facing,” she mourned, concluding with a heartfelt plea: “May we see an end to this sorrow and find freedom at last.”
