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As most elements of the nation proceed to expertise heavy rainfall, a piece of households from Iruri, Kanyoni, Gituamba and Kiroko villages in Gatundu North constituencies live in worry of landslides as their farms have been submerged by water spilled from the Karimenu II dam.
The overflow water has additionally reached homesteads within the villages.
Already, a number of latrines have sunk contained in the dam’s water, sending indicators of an imminent tragedy that might additional see the collapse of residents’ homes that are actually a number of meters from the dam.
A tour of journalists within the village revealed that residents’ meals crops together with bananas, maize amongst others have been submerged by the dam’s water, a state of affairs that has left most households struggling to place meals on their desk.
On the residence of James Kariuki, relations listed here are pressured to alleviate themselves inside the neighbourhood after his latrine caved in.
Kariuki’s residential home is barely 5 meters from the place the latrine is, a state of affairs that has left him frightened about his destiny as the home may additionally collapse ought to the rains proceed falling until March as predicted by the weatherman.
Residents from the affected villages claimed that the multi-billion dam that was commissioned in 2022 has been the reason for their distress.
“This can be a ticking bomb and it’s only a matter of time earlier than a tragedy occurs right here. We live on this hazard as we’ve got nowhere else to go. Our homes have developed cracks after they had been weakened by the dam’s water however nonetheless, we proceed to dwell right here as that is the one residence we all know,” Kariuki stated.
On the centre of locals’ fury is delayed compensation for his or her land and damages therein by the federal government regardless of having surrendered them to facilitate the development of the dam.
Residents led by Anne Nduta raised issues that almost all households are at the moment watching starvation because the water devoured up their farms and destroyed all crops.
They regretted that the dam which they thought would tackle a few of their issues like lack of water of their houses has been nothing however a explanation for their predicaments saying the one factor they get from the dam is mosquitoes and extreme colds.
“This dam has been the reason for our issues. Since its commissioning, we’ve got skilled all method of challenges together with chilly that has graduated into pneumonia and different cold-related ailments, malaria because of elevated mosquitoes and psychological torture,” Nduta stated.
“Proper now, we’re involved concerning the security of our kids whom we worry would possibly perish within the dam. We have now raised our issues with all related authorities and their native leaders led by Governor Kimani Wamatangi and MP Njoroge Kururia however no interventions have been made to salvage them,” Ann Wambui, one other resident, decried.
The locals accused the federal government of dragging its toes in compensating and relocating them noting that the valuation of their properties has been performed numerous instances however the compensation course of has by no means been concluded.
They claimed that the dam, which they thought could be of assist, has been the reason for their sleepless nights and the rationale their lives had been at peril.
They pleaded with the federal government to fast-track their compensation and relocation earlier than tragedy strikes.
Paul Mwangi, the secretary of the venture’s affected individuals committee, instructed the federal government to compensate the locals swiftly and with the present land costs to allow them to maneuver to safer areas.
“Let the federal government not wait till a tragedy strikes, let it act now – pay all of the affected individuals their full quantities to facilitate their relocation. Our individuals listed here are going by way of untold struggling together with colds and pneumonia which have turn into the order of the day. They can not farm as a result of rising waters and now, their bogs have began sinking contained in the dam. What else is the federal government ready for to fast-track relocation of the affected individuals?” Mwangi famous.
Late final yr, the federal government by way of the Water Cupboard Secretary Zacharia Njeru introduced that it had put aside Ksh150 million to compensate and relocate some 122 residents whose properties together with land and houses had been on the verge of being submerged by the already full dam.
Njeru who spoke after touring the dam instructed journalists that the valuation of the resident’s properties was being fast-tracked in a bid to hurry up the method.
“The method of compensating and relocating the affected is underway. We’re working along with them in order that we will transfer them to safer areas earlier than the compensation is completed,” the CS stated.
About two months later, no affected particular person has acquired a dime or data on when they are going to be compensated to facilitate their relocation.
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