Two villages fight over dam in Kiambu

Villagers from Lari protest after they accused a nearby village of putting them in danger by opening a dam that holds 154,550 cubic meters of water. [George Njunge, Standard]

Two villages in Lari, Kiambu, are in conflict over who is to blame for the flooding following the bursting of a dam.

Scheme village residents were protesting against a move by their Githirioni counterparts to dig a tunnel to let out the water.

The water destroyed farms and blocked roads, forcing the area administration to step in.

The bone of contention is a natural dam in Githirioni area sitting on 19 acres.

Water from the dam has overflown following heavy rains.

Joyce Githuku from Scheme village said the area has never experienced such kind of flooding even when it rains heavily.

“We are sitting ducks. The water in the dam can pull a surprise on us if the other villagers are allowed to dig tunnels directing water to us," she said.

Githuku added that Githirioni villagers are trying to channel the water away from their houses, but putting others in danger.

Peter Kanyingi, from Scheme village, said the thought of what the 154,550 cubic meters of water could do to their village is causing them sleepless nights.

"We don’t want to start the usual song of serikali saidia when we know where the problem is ... ours is simple, block the tunnels."

A water engineer from the Kiambu county government had been called to solve the matter but residents accused him of planning to dig more tunnels.

The area assistant county commissioner, chief, inspector of police and village elders had to calm the protesting residents.

Eventually, the administrators agreed with the residents' proposal to seal the tunnels.

Chief George Kahonokia asked them to donate sacks that would hold the soil with which the tunnels would be blocked.

The chief warned Githirioni residents against digging new tunnels or opening the blocked ones.