More than 2,000 residents of Kipsoit in Baringo Central Sub-county are living in fear as gulley erosion threatens to break an 800-cubic metre water pan.
The large 20-foot deep gulley is barely some 30 metres away from the dam.
“It probably awaits the next heavy rains before it cracks off to flow away a huge mass of water,” resident Joseph Chesoktoi said on Sunday.
Chesoktoi sent the early warning saying they don’t want to wait until a deadly disaster like “the killer Solai dam in Nakuru” to happen to them.
In May 2018, Solai dam broke its banks killing at least 48 people, injuring hundreds and rendering several families homeless.
Chesoktoi said the gulley resulted from heavy downpour in July last year. He appealed to both the county, the national government and well-wishers to chip in and arrest the situation before it get too late.
“We urgently require specialised experts especially from the ministry of water, agriculture and environment to rush to the scene to assess the situation,” he said.
The resident said the dam requires at least Sh1.5 million for rehabilitation -building gabions to protect the water source from the invasive gullies, de-silt and fence it off.
He said Kabarnet-Soi Ward MCA Ernest Kibet had earlier reported the matter to the county Governor Stanley Kiptis, but nothing has so far been done.
County Water Executive Philemon Ronoh says no one has reported to him about the dangerous fissure. “I will assign experts from my department immediately to look into the matter” he said.
Chesoktoi further said the old dam was sunk after the community made a special request to the former colonial government in 1962.
“No single maintenance has been made to the water pan since then, until it completely dried up in 1980, but the Kenyan government allocated funds to de-silt it in 2004,” he said.
A farmer, Joseph Noti, said the dam serves more than 200 households from Kipkokon, Tilolwo, Barigoi, Ng’orone and Kamenwo and Kipsoit villages with 18,000 livestock (5,000 cows, 6000 goats and 7000 sheep).
“Apart from livestock breeding, we also irrigate bananas, mangoes, paw paws and cassava using the water,” Noti said.
More than 1,500 children of Kapyemit, Kipsit, Kakwane and St John Primary and Secondary schools are also depending on the only source of water.
“Once the dam doesn’t exist we will be forced to trek some three kilomtres down at Kerio River to fetch water for both drinking and domestic use, which is too far,” Ann Kiprono said.
Local elite, Samuel Chemobo, said the soil along Kerio Valley is always loose and therefore there is high risks of soil erosion.
“During the prolonged droughts, the alluvial soil -mixture of loam and clay, would crack and so letting in water easily during the rains, washing it away to form such deep, deadly cracks,” Chemobo said.
He said the entire place is awash with gullies, adding: “Apart from draining away water, the dangerous deep drenches have also claimed lives of several people especially visitors and drunkards,” he said.
In August, the Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui sent a warning that majority of the Kenyan water sources, especially dams, were unsafe.
“The country needs at least Sh440 million to improve the safety of its hundreds of dams over the next three years,” he said.
He revealed that Kenya currently has a total of 4,100 dams and water pans.
