This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Faultline Causes Havoc in Nakuru County ¶
On June 17, 2020, a faultline that initially developed in parts of Nakuru West Sub-County continued to wreak havoc after spreading into a public primary school, destroying feeder roads and structures at the institution.
Nakuru County Governor, Lee Kinyanjui, said geologists from Kenya Electricity Generating Company (Kengen) and seismologists from Geothermal Development Company (GDC) were assessing the extent of the faultline at Koinange Primary School after its entire perimeter wall curved into a newly developed huge fissure.
The County boss, who toured the institution in company of area Member of Parliament, Samuel Arama, and Shabab Ward Member of County Assembly, Kamau Githengi, said the experts from the two state corporations would continue monitoring faulting and volcanic activities at the school before learning institutions re-open.
"We must actively preempt possible dangers to avoid disasters at the school. Once the report from experts on the status of geological stability of the ground the school stands on is ready, we will make appropriate decisions that will ensure safety of our children and teachers," Governor Kinyanjui said.
The school, established in the 1950s, hosts over 1,500 pupils from neighboring populous settlements and has over 60 teachers and 12 non-teaching staff members.
Earlier this year, the faultline first cut across roads in the sub-county following heavy rains that pounded the region, sparking fears among residents of Koinange, Shabab, and Kaptembwa Estates.
As a result, Governor Kinyanjui has declared a moratorium on building approvals for structures within sections of the Central Business District and its suburbs after a joint GDC and Kengen geophysics report confirmed that the most parts of the devolved unit were geologically unstable and were experiencing subtle volcanic faulting.
"We sincerely thank residents for voluntarily vacating houses near the collapsed road. Anyone seeking approval of a new building in Nakuru will have to provide a Geo-technical report which has a detailed structure of the earth's profile," Governor Kinyanjui said.
The geophysics study aimed to investigate the nature of soil strata around collapsed zones, determine the depth and thickness of various soil strata, locate possible weak zones, and determine cause and possible remedial measures.
The report indicated that general alignment of the weak zones showed presence of a major North-South fault, with the weak zones enlarging southwards posing high risk to infrastructure around the area.
"Infrastructure built around weak zones is at high risk especially during wet seasons/lubrication of faults and enlargement of subsurface flow channels," the report read.
Seismologists from Kengen, Cyrus Karingiti and Kizito Opondo, and Eng. Paul Ngugi, a geologist from GDC, cautioned that before any infrastructure and housing projects are carried out in the County, geothermal mapping should be carried out as the region is highly vulnerable to subsidence, landslides, earthquakes, and related disasters.
