A dispute over where water from a natural dam in Githirioni location, Lari, is to be drained has landed a man in court.
A group of residents from the lower side of Lari scheme location has sued Njung’e Gathea for digging a trench that has caused havoc in the area. They say the trench drained water that had flooded Gathea's home, which neighbours the dam. The homestead is on higher ground.
The complainants reside on lower ground, an area that was flooded when the dam burst its bank following May rains. Salome Academy was flooded and some residents had to relocate.
The latest predicament resulted after a road, homes and farms were flooded. Residents raised concerns, prompting government officials to order that the trench be blocked. The officers also urged the residents to come up with a way to drain the water into the nearby Ruiru swamp without destroying property and livelihoods.
But reacting to the accusations, Gathea denied wrongdoing. He said some youths entered his home and dug the trench when floodwaters began flowing to the scheme.
And to prevent a similar ordeal, some residents petitioned a Limuru court to bar Gathea from digging the trench again. They were Samuel Karanja, Margaret Waithera, Daniel Ndung’u, James Macharia, John Njau, Paul Gichana, Samson Ngugi, James Githanga, Ruth Wakonyo, Loise Waithera and Samuel Mbugua.
In the case, which is to be heard on Tuesday, Gathea has been sued alongside the Water Resource Management Authority (Warma) and the county government of Kiambu.
The applicants want Gathea, Warma and the county government restrained from interfering with the dam, complaining that such a move results in flooding that leaves their lives in ruins. They want the dam left to dry naturally.
