Residents to be displaced by dam demand ample pay, resettlement
By Wangari.Njuguna, December 2, 2022
Residents of Kiharu, Kigumo, Kangema and Maragua constituencies want the government to compensate and relocate them before commencing construction of Maragua 4 Dam.
They say they fear being shortchanged and left homeless once the construction begins.
Dam is set to be constructed at Gatara at the intersection of the four constituencies. Led by their spokesperson James Migwi, they said they were notified of possible eviction about 10 years ago but no Government official has ever visited them to talk about compensation plan.
“We are seeking audience with the government officials about the matter and they should address it now so that if we do not feel contented we negotiate further,” Migwi noted.
He said on several occasions, they see helicopters coming to survey the area and meetings are held in Nairobi but no one bothers to address them.
“They should come to the ground and talk to us instead of holding closed-door meetings in boardrooms where we don’t even have a representative,” he added. Migwi stated that they don’t want to be ambushed last-minute as this will disorient and destabilise their lives.
No signs
“We had been told the construction of the dam would commence last year but so far there are no signs. We do not want to be flashed out in haste when the government gets a contractor and signs the deal,” he said.
Millicent Wairimu, another resident, said they are not able to undertake any meaningful development on the land because they do not know when they will be evicted.
“Our minds are not settled because we don’t know when we will be told to move and nothing about compensation has been brought to light,” she said. “We are urging elected leaders to intervene in this matter and ensure we are not shortchanged,” added Wairimu.
Ayub Githinji, another resident said they don’t want a replica of what happened to Gatanga people when Ndaka-ini Dam was constructed.
Githinji said people were shortchanged in land compensation and never got water as all of it was channeled to Nairobi.