MP Appeals After Residents Bordering Dam Defy Orders to Vacate
MP Appeals After Residents Bordering Dam Defy Orders to Vacate
Gitwamba Village residents, who live next to the nearly full Karimenu Dam, insisted that they will not leave their land even after President William Ruto’s Cabinet issued a vacate order.
Speaking with the media, the locals disclosed that they were still waiting on the money that was promised to them when the dam’s construction got underway in 2019.
They contended that despite the impending calamity, some of them had made investments in their homes on the property and had nowhere else to go.
“Dr. Ruto ought to be aware of how miserable this water is for us. They ought to come pay us what’s owed. Where are we going and how long will we be gone when they tell us to leave without pay? “How will you finance even if you have a place to build?” a resident named Karanja Kimani bemoaned to Citizen TV.
President William Ruto ordered everyone residing in an endangered area to leave within 48 hours last week, vowing to assist the impacted families.
People who lived near riparian areas and in vulnerable ecosystems—which include those subject to flooding, mudslides, and landslides—were impacted.
“It is important that ahead of time, we protect the lives of people and that is why we have concluded the mapping of all areas that are in danger so that we can assist citizens to move away in time because the forecast is such that rain will continue for the foreseeable future and there is a lot of precipitation in many places,” the Head of State stated.
Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge Kururia, however, appealed to the President to follow through the compensation and ensure that the affected families near the dam, which is 10 meters away from their area of residence, vacate to safety.
“There is a disaster here at Karimenu dam which is overflowing with water and there are houses built 10 meters from the dam and the people lament they have nowhere to go, no roads, have not been paid and have no title deeds because the land has been taken by the government,” Njoroge pleaded.
“I appeal to the government led by President William Ruto that when they deliver services, they should also remember the people of Karimenu Dam because they are in the water.”
President William Ruto ordered everyone residing in an endangered area to leave within 48 hours last week, vowing to assist the impacted families.
People who lived near riparian areas and in vulnerable ecosystems—which include those subject to flooding, mudslides, and landslides—were impacted.
