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25 Solai victims get permanent houses, title deeds

Each family got a 50 by 100 plot, with adequate space for subsistence farming.

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by STAR REPORTER

Realtime14 July 2019 - 13:09
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In Summary


• 25 new three-room houses with a kitchen extension on three acres in Solai, space for subsistence farming.

• These families were included in the government compensation plan as it only settled people who had already bought land.

Peninah Njeri celebrates after receiving the keys to her new house

Twenty-five victims of the killer Solai dam tragedy now have permanent houses, thanks to Compassion International, a Christian-based NGO that focuses on children.

The 25 new three-roomed houses with a kitchen extension are on three acres in Solai.

This came as a relief to the families which are slowly trying to rebuild their lives a year after the tragedy that left at least 51 people dead. 

 

Each family got a 50 by 100 plot, with adequate space for subsistence farming.

More than 130 residents who lived at Energy, an informal settlement, were swept away by torrents of water on May 9 at Soalai Farm, Nakuru county...

Each family will get a title deed as proof of ownership in the next few months, partnership facilitator Sarah Mwangi said.

“There was a lot of resource mobilisation and the residents were heavily involved. There are people who did not have a place to live and now they have a place to call home,” she added.

There was excitement as families received the keys to their new houses.

Peninah Njeri, 84, said this will be her first time to sleep throughout the night as she has been having a severe headache since the last year's tragedy.

When I held my keys, I felt at peace. When my house was flattened by the gushing water, I lost hope. I ran away, securing nothing. It is my son who broke the news. From then on, it has been a constant struggle even to raise cash for the monthly rent. I did not want to bother anyone begging for rent,” the mother of 12 said.

 

Mary Wanjeri said homes gave them a chance to have a fresh start.

"It was worse because we lived near the place of the tragedy. A new place, in a totally new environment, is the right atmosphere for healing. Getting a new house is a permanent mark that will never be erased.” she added.

When I held my keys, I felt at peace. When my house was flattened by the gushing water, I lost hope. I ran away with nothing. It has been a constant struggle to raise cash for  rent. I did not want to beg for rent,.

Kuur Ekiryot, a single father of two, said his children had a hard time settling in after the tragedy.

“It is hard to sustain two kids and pay for the rent. Providing basic needs has been a great challenge but the new house will ease my rent burden,” he said.

Senior assistant chief Peter Chege Mwangi was optimistic that most of the victims will  heal psychologically as they will have peace of mind.

Chege said that the temporary shelters they lived in forced most of them to rush to the hills every time it rained for fear that their houses would be swept away.

“The security that comes with the new house is also the reassurance that they are far away from the dam," he added.

Compassion International's Mwangi said they targeted the families in the Informal Settlement Energy which was entirely swept away.

“The initial path was that of counselling, providing basic needs of food and medication. We felt we needed to bring in a lasting solution and the church supported them in purchasing land and constructing the facilities,” she added.

Mwangi said the families were not included in the government compensation plan as it was only settling people who had already bought land.

Edited by R.Wamochie 

ant struggle even to raise cash for the monthly rent. I did not want to bother anyone begging for rent,” the mother of 12 said.

Mary Wanjeri said homes gave them a chance to have a fresh start.

"It was worse because we lived near the place of the tragedy. A new place, in a totally new environment, is the right atmosphere for healing. Getting a new house is a permanent mark that will never be erased.” she added.


Kuur Ekiryot, a single father of two, said his children had a hard time settling in after the tragedy.


“It is hard to sustain two kids and pay for the rent. Providing basic needs has been a great challenge but the new house will ease my rent burden,” he said.

Senior assistant chief Peter Chege Mwangi was optimistic that most of the victims will  heal psychologically as they will have peace of mind.

Chege said that the temporary shelters they lived in forced most of them to rush to the hills every time it rained for fear that their houses would be swept away.

“The security that comes with the new house is also the reassurance that they are far away from the dam," he added.

Compassion International's Mwangi said they targeted the families in the Informal Settlement Energy which was entirely swept away.

“The initial path was that of counselling, providing basic needs of food and medication. We felt we needed to bring in a lasting solution and the church supported them in purchasing land and constructing the facilities,” she added.

Mwangi said the families were not included in the government compensation plan as it was only settling people who had already bought land.

Edited by R.Wamochie

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