Patel Dam probe team ejects 'unprepared' officials

Rescue operations in the aftermath of the Patel Dam collapse. Agencies probing the tragedy have been ordered to prepare and submit comprehensive reports in two weeks. [File, Standard]

A session meant to investigate the collapse of the Patel Dam that killed 47 people ended prematurely yesterday.

Members of a Senate select team conducting the investigation sent away government officials who had been summoned to testify for allegedly not being prepared. 

Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, the chairman of the committee, turned away the chief executive officer of the National Construction Authority (NCA) and a top official of the National Environmental Authority (Nema) because they did not have proper reports on the tragedy.

The senator termed the reports the officials presented as 'casual and pedestrian'.

Maurice Akech, the acting NCA CEO, angered senators when he said he did not have any background data on the dam that collapsed on May 10 in Subukia, Nakuru County.

Senate team

David Ongare, the Nema director in charge of compliance and enforcement, told the Senate team that the agency's preliminary report had established that flooding of the dam caused environmental impact, especially on land and water.

The Nema official failed to explain why the report had not been submitted to the Senate, three weeks after it was supposed to have been filed.

Mr Kilonzo asked the officials to prepare and submit comprehensive reports in two weeks.