The Committee Vice-Chairperson Charles Kamuren observed that the problem extends across the Country, with several lakes experiencing significant water level increases that have affected settlements, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, wildlife habitats, and ecosystems.
Background
Water levels in Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes have risen substantially over the past decade, displacing homes, schools, hotels and farmland around Baringo, Nakuru, Naivasha and others. Researchers have pointed to a combination of higher rainfall, land use change and sediment inflow in the catchments, and possibly to underlying tectonic factors, but no single explanation has been settled. Dam levels raise a separate set of questions about spillway management and about who is warned when a controlled release is made.
Why it matters here
Nairobi’s connection is direct. The city draws its water from dams in the Aberdares catchment, and how those are managed determines both rationing schedules and flood risk downstream. In Kibra the consequence of any water system failure is immediate, because households buy water by the jerrican and a supply interruption shows up as a price rise within hours. Flooding in the settlement follows the same catchments, arriving through drains that were not built for the volume.
What to watch next
What the inquiry establishes about causes, whether compensation or relocation is recommended for displaced households, and whether dam release protocols are published.
Read the full report at News – Capital FM Kenya
Source: News – Capital FM Kenya
