Veteran politician Koigi Wamwere has recounted how he unsuccessfully tried to stop construction of dams at the Patel farm.
One of the dams burst last week, killing 45 people.
Koigi, who represented Nakuru North constituency (now Subukia) in 1979, said he was dismissed as a trouble maker when he protested the construction of the dams.
“It is true when I was an MP, I had a big fight with Mansukul Patel trying to stop him from constructing private dams on public rivers because he was denying his neighbours and my voters water,” csaid the former MP.
He claimed residents of Marigu, Nyakinyua, Solai and Banita were also being denied right of way through the farm to Kabazi and Subukia areas.
“For saying no to this, many called me a trouble maker,” Koigi said as he consoled families that lost loved ones in the tragedy.
Koigi was elected in 1979 after beating the then MP Kihika Kimani.
He said the deaths and destruction witnessed in Solai last week could have been prevented had relevant Government agencies acted in accordance with the law.
The management of Solai farm, which has five dams with a total capacity of 600,000 cubic meters of water, have defended the construction of the dams, saying Government agencies approved them.
Venoj Jayakumar, the farm’s general manager, told journalists last week’s tragedy was caused by heavy rains that made the dam burst.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has launched investigations to establish if the five dams in the expansive farm were legally constructed.
Yesterday, Koigi warned of another looming disaster in the neighboring Bahati constituency - near Kagoto and Heshima estates, where a firm has been using dynamite to blast rocks used to produce gravel.
“The blasts are causing tremors that cause houses to shake and crack. They will induce landslides and kill people as soon as the earth is saturated with the rain water,” Koigi warned.
Koigi’s radio station is within the locality and has been vocal in calling on Government agencies to act on the quarry.
“I have written letters, visited National Environment Management Authority offices to report the danger posed by the quarry and use of dynamite but nothing has been done,” he said.
