Swelling Lake Naivasha displaces families again

Situation in Kihoto estate, Naivasha which flooded due to the rise in water levels from Lake Naivasha. [File, Standard]

For the umpteenth time, rising waters of Lake Naivasha have displaced tens of families and left a trail of destruction after flooding farms, camping sites and government infrastructure.

As has been the norm, residents of Kihoto estate bore the brunt of the flooding even as experts continue to grapple in the darkness over the cause of the rare phenomena.

This came as affected landowners called on the government to abide by a court order and recommendation by the parliamentary committee on land to compensate or resettle them.

In January, the Environment and Lands Court ordered the national government and Nakuru County to compensate and resettle tens of victims displaced by the rising waters of the lake.

According to one of the land owners James Mwai, the waters had surpassed the previous grounds flooding more homes, schools and churches.

He said that they were still in darkness over the case of the flooding as the catchment area was not raining nor had the outlets been blocked.

“We have suffered long enough and we are asking the government to either compensate or resettle us as we legally bought this land,” he said.

Mwai added that some of the families who had returned in February after being displaced in December last year were facing another displacement.

Former area MCA Simon Wanango defended the land owners noting that they followed the law while acquiring the land in the 80s and had genuine title deeds.

He called on the government to respect court orders noting that the current crisis would have been alleviated years back if the law was obeyed.

“The county government forgot about the suffering families even as more homes get submerged in water and the lasting solution lies in resettlement,” he said.

Last month, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) partnered with local and international institutions to investigate the reasons behind the rising water levels of various lakes in Rift Valley.

According to the Naivasha based organization, the six months studies will involve geologists, aquifer experts among others with a view of getting science based info on the rare phenomena.

According to the Insurer Director Dr Patrick Omondi, they had sought the experts to study the current situation and give the way forward.

 He noted that unlike the past when the lakes rose during the rainy season, the levels of some of the water bodies were rising despite the harsh weather conditions.

“We are working with various organizations and partners so that we can in six months come up with a report on the main cause for the rising water levels,” he said.