Dam-afected residents cry out for compensation

Residents of several villages in Gatundu North constituency have protested that the government has failed to compensate them for the land they surrendered for a dam project.

The Sh24 billion Karimenu II dam was completed four years ago, but villagers in Ngurueini, Githang’a, Gathanji, Gituamba and Kiriko have not been paid all their money.

They claimed water from the dam was submerging their homes, having already swallowed up their maize, banana and Napier plantations. Water scarcity.

The project that they had thought would end water scarcity in the region is instead impoverishing them, they lamented. They said they now have no land to cultivate and have become food insecure. As other Kenyans celebrate Christmas, they said, they have no food and mosquitoes have led to an increase in malaria cases.

The government, they added, could have done more to help them relocate to higher ground by fully compensating them for their land and other damage. Some locals who were not on the original list of affected residents affected by the dam were later asked to offer their land to accommodate a buffer zone. Once the valuation of the properties was completed, they were promised instant payments to facilitate their relocation.

But years down the line, they are yet to receive a penny from the government. Some homes are no longer habitable after developing substantial cracks that residents blame on proximity to the dam, while most lavatories have been filled with water. Residents warn that unless they are relocated, the project could swallow up their homes and they will have nowhere to go.

Compensation promises Led by Wambui Wa Gichuhi, residents said the government had failed to honour their compensation promises. “The government has been taking us in circles though we received our title deeds and conducted other req[1]uisite processes,” said Gichuhi. “We are now beggars, as we no longer farm or develop our land.

They must clear the air on when we are going to receive our rightful dues because as it is, we are a forgotten lot.

” Residents have been knocking on government doors seeking to have their plight addressed to no avail, said John Kamau. “All government entities concerned with this project are aware of our plight but they don’t care,” he said. Commenting on his constituents’ plight, area MP Elijah Njoroge Kururia said he will lead other parliamentarians to have Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa impeached over incompetence and defying presidential orders.

In October last year, President William Ruto, while touring the constituency, tasked the minister for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, at the time, Alice Wahome to resolve the longstanding compensation dispute. He committed that his government would pay the affected residents the Sh4.2 billion they had been demanding as compensation for their land, asking the ministry to fast-track the compensation process