Over 3,000 former workers of Karuturi flower farm have been forced to fetch water from Lake Naivasha after supply to their homes was disconnected.
The move has raised fears of a disease outbreak in the staff quarters as the crisis entered the third week with no solution in sight.
This came as details emerged that the former workers had been living in darkness for the last one month after Kenya Power disconnected power supply.
Last month the Supreme Court suspended the auction of the farm assets by a local bank over a debt that the owner owes it.
For months, the families that have been living in abject poverty after they were laid off and the farm management refused to pay them their dues.
One of the affected workers Jeniffer Akoth said the lake was the only source of water after supply was disconnected.
"We are now left without an option other than to go and get the water from the lake that is highly polluted with dangerous chemicals and other substances," he said.
She added that since the farm was closed down five years ago, the farm has been neglecting their plight resulting to a catastrophe currently being witnessed.
Another resident Martha Auma said they were taking the water without boiling it for domestic purposes adding that they had no other options.
Atieno said they did not have treatment tablets noting that they were drinking the water direct from the lake.
"We are aware of the dangers we are getting ourselves into but since we are jobless and have nowhere to go we have decided to take the risks until when it rains," she said.
Job Wafula called on the county government to come to their aid noting that they had suffered for long. Wafula said that toilets in the staff quarters were in bad conditions adding that this could lead to a disease outbreak in the area.
"Our biggest fear are children who playing around the estate that is currently in poor condition due to the flooded toilets,” he said.
A junior worker with the receiver-manager said that the workers were in the staff quarters illegally after the farm was put under receivership and thus could not be supplied with water.
