Residents of Karera village in Gatundu South, Kiambu county are counting losses after a water pipe in the Kariminu II dam project started leaking, causing destruction to farms.
Their farms have been waterlogged for the last two months, reducing them to beggars, the farmers said.
Led by Loise Muthoni and Joseph Kahunga, the farmers told journalists their farms will not yield any produce.
About 11 farms have been affected with crops including maize, beans, bananas, cassava, yams, napier grass and avocado trees drying up.
“This season we will harvest nothing from our farms because our crops have been destroyed. The avocados that we sell to sustain our livelihoods have dried up since the water started clogging in our farms. We are staring at hunger and we are now forced to solely rely on relief food or support from well-wishers,” Muthoni said.
Their countless pleas to have the matter addressed by Athi Water Works Development Agency, the project's implementing agency, has fallen on deaf ears, the farmers claimed.
Nothing has been done to end the leakage.
“We have lodged numerous complaints with the relevant authorities. They only sent one person who came to collect water samples. We have never heard from him or the authorities again. All we want is this mess to be fixed and we be duly compensated for the losses,” Kahunga said.
The overflowing water has left them grappling with severe colds especially at night and swarms of mosquitoes, Regina Njeri, whose farm was affected, said.
They called for the government's intervention through Athi Water Services Board and also asked to be compensated for the losses they have incurred.
The residents also claimed the water has damaged the soil in their farms.
“The chemicals in the water have rendered our soil infertile and it will be costly and time-consuming to revive it. We are demanding that a swift action be taken by the government to address the problem and also ensure that they compensate us accordingly,” Njeri said.
Attempts to get a comment from the project contractor were futile.
