Gatundu North Member of Parliament Njoroge Kururia, on Friday, January 13, led his constituents in rejecting a dam set to be constructed in the Constituency.
Speaking during a public engagement forum between the locals and stakeholders in the water department in Gatundu North, the residents expressed their reservations against what would see them cede their land to the project.
Further, they questioned the relevance of spending Ksh13 billion on a dam just 5 kilometres away from the Karimenu Dam that was constructed during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The residents voiced their concerns about the plan to relocate them in order to pave way for the project.
According to residents, the government was planning to transfer affected locals to semi-arid land in Murang'a County.
"These residents have left their businesses to declare that they do not want a dam because there is another dam just close to the proposed one and, secondly, because there is a very large land in a nearby forest that should be used instead of displacing residents," the MP noted.
Further, the residents complained that the region had lagged behind in terms of development in the country claiming that they were sidelined over the years.
As such, they urged the government to prioritize other projects deemed important to them including service delivery and the upgrade of the road network.
On her part, Water Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, who toured the region on Friday, January 13, stated that she was under instructions to ensure that the project is delivered within the shortest time possible.
She, however, acknowledged that the government was yet to reach an agreement on the process of relocating and compensating affected landowners.
"I will be signing the letters for these parcels on Monday. Thereafter, it will be a matter of assessment of how much and the time needed," she stated.
The Ndarugo Dam was part of President William Ruto's promise to construct over 100 dams that had been planned in the previous administrations.
Ruto stated that the dams were crucial in steering the country towards a food-secure future and sufficing the deficit of the amount of water for Kenyans.
In particular, the Ndarugo Dam was designed to help alleviate the water shortage in parts of Kiambu and Nairobi Counties.
