Hundreds of residents blockaded the Meru-Nanyuki road for hours on Monday to protest against water shortage caused by big upstream horticultural farms.
Police from Nanyuki and Timau stations fired in the air and used teargas to disperse protesters who used logs, tyres and stones to block traffic.
Meru Governor Peter Munya had to return to Nanyuki from Meru after protesters tossed twigs on his car.
They shouted that Munya, chairman of the Council of Governors, is unable to control large-scale farms extracting water upstream for irrigation.
Protesters said water is illegally diverted and rivers downstream are drying up.
The residents from Daiga division, Laikipia county, were mainly from Muramati, Nyakumu, Mwireri, Kalalu and Umande villages.
“We do not have water for domestic consumption. We need an urgent solution,” resident Milka Wambui said.
Protesters said they wanted to be addressed by people who can solve their problem.
Calm was restored as residents dispersed but they said will continue to demonstrate until water flows downstream.
They said this is the second year they are experiencing the shortage, as many farms in Timau use million of litres of water for irrigation.
The water problem is not new and leaders have been calling on the national government to construct mega dams around Mt Kenya to solve the problem.
During a recent visit by President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nanyuki, Laikipia East MP Mutahi Kimaru urged him to ensure the proposed Kahurura Dam is built to ease the problem.
The President had gone to the area last month during the homecoming ceremony of Devolution CS Mwangi Kiunjuri.
