Flooding will reccur in Budalang’i if weak points on the dykes in flood-prone areas are not rehabilitated, area MP Raphael Wanjala has said.
Wanjala asked the government to quickly strengthen the dykes ahead of long rains expected in April.
The MP, who was addressing Bunyala residents at Maumau trading centre on Thursday, attributed flooding to the meandering of River Nzoia. He said desilting rivers would end the menace.
A social audit report of the region was released at the occasion also attended by MCAs.
Wanjala at the same time asked the National Land Commission to speed up the compensation of property owners whose land has been taken to pave the way for the World Bank’s Sh10 billion Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project.
“I want to urge NLC chairman Muhammed Swazuri to come to the ground and ensure people are paid so that rehabilitation work on the dykes can start before the long rains to avoid flooding,” he said.
The rehabilitation of dykes is being undertaken by the national government and the World Bank.
The weaknesses are often caused by water seepage when River Nzoia bursts its banks in rainy seasons.
MCAs asked the county government to open up blocked rivers, including Nasiraka. “We are appealing for this to be done before the onset of the rains to avoid flooding,” said Bunyala Central MCA Felix Omanyi