Resettlement
Kiambu Members of Parliament Tuesday held a consultative meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Zacharia Njeru to discuss water related issues in the county.
The delegation included Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa and eight MPs and they discussed various water projects being implemented in Kiambu and also deliberated on the relocation of residents near Karimenu 2 dam as it was about to burst banks due to the ongoing heavy rainfall countrywide.
Njeru informed the MPs that the government had released funds to relocate and compensate a section of Karimenu 2 dam-affected residents. The dam that sits on 600 acres was built at a cost of Sh 24 billion and was commissioned by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in August 2022.
The dam serves residents of Gatundu, Ruiru, Juja, Githurai, Tatu City and parts of Nairobi, providing more than 70 million litres per day. In November 2023, Athi Water Works Development Agency sought Sh 1.1 billion to compensate Gatundu residents for the land they would surrender to pave way for the construction of a fence around Karimenu 2 dam.
On his part, Thang’wa said that the department requires Sh1.3 billion to fully compensate those affected by the dam. “We have decided to lobby together for the sake of our people,” he said.
The delayed construction of the fence has continued to expose the residents to imminent danger should water from the dam spill over owing to the ongoing heavy rains.
So far six deaths have been recorded from the unfenced dam said to have reached its full capacity.