Konoike dam in Kipipiri, Nyandarua county, is a tragedy waiting to happen, the Star has learnt.
The dam has been neglected for years and silt is piling up. Scrap metal dealers have taken advantage of little or no security to vandalise the dam, yanking away gates and covers leaving gaping openings at the top.
Residents of Turasha have raised fears over their safety and that of their livestock.
They accuse Nakuru Rural Water and Sewerage Company, which manages the dam, of exposing them to danger.
The dam was built in 1990 on Turasha river in Kipipiri at an elevation of 3,000 meters. About 17,500 cubic meters of water flows to Nakuru daily.
Residents cross over the dam’s neglected wall going to Kahiga shopping centre. School children use the same route.
“We have been worried for a long time and we want the concerned people to act. When the dam was built, all the covers were in place, but since they were stolen four year ago they have not been replaced,” Isaac Njoroge said.
John Ngumo said school children often play on the wall of the dam. “It is wrong for our water to be taken away while we suffer and then they expose us to other dangers,” he said.
The dam’s caretaker, Peter Kamau , said he found the covers missing when he was employed about four years ago and made wooden ones, which were also stolen.
Early last year, the Nakuru county government began removing silt from the dam but abandoned the effort. The sand that was removed was piled nearby and has since found its way back.
Nakuru county has put an incomplete fence around the the dam. Some of the concrete posts have broken.
“They brought some machines that could not complete removing the silt. They did not fix the covers. Nyandarua county should seriously look into this matter,”Margaret Mucheru said.
Nakuru Rural Water managing director Reuben Korir told the Star yesterday that vandalism has been a major problem for the company.
He said it is in the proces of making concrete covers to replace the steel ones which were stolen, “so that we take care of the hazard”.
Korir said the concrete covers will be fixed in the next one month.