On 2018-11-21, the Kenya Red Cross Society called on Nakuru County leaders to stop turning the Solai dam disaster recovery programme into a political contest, saying the priority should remain the families still rebuilding their lives.
The appeal came as the organisation broke ground for 37 permanent and semi-permanent houses for survivors of the tragedy, which followed the collapse of a private dam on a farm owned and managed by Perry Mansukh Kansagara and Vinoj Jaya Kumar on May 9. The flood killed at least 48 people and displaced more than 5,000 residents, with Nyankinyua and Energy villages among the worst hit.
Red Cross Secretary-General Abass Gullet said the focus had to stay on the affected households rather than public competition over the response. “I request Nakuru leaders to focus on how we can rebuild lives of the survivors. It has been more than five months now. We need to help affected families pick up the pieces,” Mr Gullet said.
The housing project, which the county government approved in design form, is expected to cost about Sh40 million. Governor Lee Kinyanjui had earlier launched the restoration programme and pledged that his administration would help survivors return to normal life as quickly as possible.
But the recovery effort has also been clouded by political interference, with some politicians accused of using the tragedy to gain mileage. Mr Gullet, Governor Kinyanjui and senior county officials have all visited the scene and assured residents that they would not be abandoned.
The atmosphere in Solai has since changed. The heavy media attention and helicopter landings that followed the disaster have largely faded, leaving humanitarian organisations such as the Kenya Red Cross and Safaricom to continue the work on the ground.
More than 400 survivors are still seeking compensation, and they have filed a Sh1 billion claim against the dam owners at the Nakuru Law Courts. Separately, the two owners and seven other people are facing charges at a Naivasha court over the deaths linked to the disaster.
