Thousands of Murang’a residents are facing danger after faults and fissures opened up following more than a month of heavy rain.
Many houses in higher areas are coming apart, as cracks widen beneath them.
Experts say the problem is caused by intense cultivation of large areas, clearing of vegetation and destruction of forests. There are not enough plants with deep roots to hold the soil together and during heavy rains the ground opens and landslides occur.
In Gitugi, Mathioya subcounty, a landslide claimed one life, destroyed homes and displaced 50 families.
They are sheltering at Mutitu Polytechnic.
Villagers are living in fear that whole hillsides could cave in or be swept away.
The Ministry of Transport has advised motorists to be careful on the Nyeri-Kangema-Gacharage-Thika road, occasionally blocked by landslides.
The road was closed for days two weeks ago after more than five mudslides blocked it in different sections. People living on the upper side were urged to relocate.
The Kenya Rural Roads Authority has urged motorists using the Kiria-ini Kangema road to find alternative routes as part of the road has collapsed. The cave-in occurred after cracks opened in the road and extended to nearby farms.
In Inoi village, Kahuro subcounty, four members of a family perished in a landslide on April 28. More landslides are feared as the cracks are opening throughout the village.
VERANDAH SEPARATED
In neighboring Kiriko-ini village, more than 200 families have been in danger since 2014 when the entire village developed cracks, some of which turned into streams.
Over the years, the cracks have continued to widen but villagers refuse to relocate and lose their property. Some reported springs of
water forming inside and outside their homes. Houses collapsed due to earth movement.
In Kangema subcounty, landslides have rocked Gitugi, Kenya Njeru, Kayu, Kihoyo, Ichichi, Mathui, Kiruri, Nyagatugu, Mithanga
villages, displacing more than 100 families. Some were shocked to wake up in the morning to find their verandahs separated from their houses and deep trenched inside their houses.
Gitugu and Kayu areas are the worst-affected as many farms have developed wide fault lines. Some villagers have now started moving to safer areas as cracks continue to widen.
Fissures have developed in Koimbi and lower Gikandu areas in Kiharu subcounty.
Nema county director Ezra Ng’ang’a has said earth movement has been caused by “extreme human activity”, including forest destruction and intense cultivation.
“High populations have led to extreme land subdivision into many plots and this has put too much pressure on land. We need to leave some farm areas to natural vegetation to lessen the pressure,” he said.
Ng’ang’a said damaged areas can only be salvaged in time by planting trees and other vegetation. Meantime, people should move, he said.
