At least 48 killed after dam burst its banks

A police officer carrying a boy from an area swept away by raging waters of Kijabe Dam at Maai Mahiu in Nakuru county on April 29, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

It’s now emerging that hours before the Dark Tunnel Valley dam burst its banks, killing close to 50 people, area residents had raised concerns over rising water levels.

As fate would have it, water spilled from the dam sweeping away tens of people, homes, livestock and vegetation in what is turning out be the worst natural calamity in the recent past.

Homes were swept away with tens of victims unaccounted for even as government agencies embarked on a search and rescue operation.

Logs and boulders blocked major roads leading to Mai Mahiu town, causing a major traffic jam that lasted for hours as Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) officers moved in to clear the affected sections of the road.

The roads agency announced that the Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road had been rendered impassable due to floods caused by the collapsed dam.

Tears flowed

“Approximately 700m from Mai Mahiu towards Naivasha, and another 1km from Mai Mahiu towards Suswa/Narok have been rendered impassable,” read an update from the agency.

Traffic came to a standstill around Mai Mahiu trading centre following the incident.

At Ngeya Primary, tears flowed freely as people streamed in to report missing kin and for counseling.

In the nearby Mai Mahiu Health, tens of victims covered in mud were wheeled in for treatment before being referred to Naivasha sub-county hospital for specialised treatment.

The facility received over 150 patients a majority having sustained cuts and fractures. Thirty-five of them were referred to Naivasha Hospital for specialised treatment.

And along the stretch where the gushing waters passed through, tens of residents backed by Red Cross officials and Nakuru County Disaster Management team walked through the muddy waters in search of more bodies.

Screams and wails rent the air as one body after the other was recovered covered in mud. The bodies were taken to Ume private mortuary.

And at PCEA centre along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road, an Easy Coach bus that was heading to Nairobi from Narok lay by the roadside with the fate of the occupants unknown having jumped off to avoid the floods.

All started on Saturday when residents of Old Kijabe expressed concerns over the rising water levels in Dark Tunnel Valley dam where water had collected for days due to ongoing days.

And at 2.30am on Monday morning, their fears were confirmed as the water spilled out sweeping anything on its way. There are fears that the death toll could double.

A scene where houses were swept by raging waters after Kijabe Dam at Maai Mahiu in Nakuru County burst its banks on April 29, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

According to a survivor, William Rokai, they were woken up by loud and vibrating sound before his house was flooded in minutes.

Rokai and his two brothers managed to rescue his two children from the roof before escaping to higher grounds.

He said that the incident caught them by surprise as they were asleep, adding that he only managed to rescue his family. He lost everything as his house was swept downstream.

“In minutes our house was flooded and through the grace of God we managed to escape through the roof and we are still in shock,” said the casual labourer.

This was echoed by a quarry worker, John Kinuthia, who only salvaged his identity card after all his personal effects were washed away.

A shaken Kinuthia narrated how he was woken by screams and as he moved out to check what was going on, he met the raging waters.

“The water pushed me and I managed to hang from one of the trees before swimming to safety and rescuing a woman who was trapped in a nearby house,” she said.

An aerial view of the area swept away by raging waters of Kijabe Dam at Maai Mahiu in Nakuru county on April 29, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Another victim David Chege termed the tragedy as the worst to ever hit the area, noting that the town had not recorded heavy rains compared to other areas.

He said that tens of families did not know the fate of their kin with tens missing and scores of others admitted in different hospitals in Naivasha.

“This is worse than the Solai dam incident as the death toll could pass 70. Many families cannot trace their relatives,” he said.

Naivasha OCPD Stephen Kirui said that of the 45 bodies recovered from different locations, 17 were minors.

He said that the numbers could rise by the day as the search operation continued, adding that the fate of the passengers in the ill-fated Easy Coach bus was unknown.

The police boss added that during the incident, several cars with occupants were swept by the floods, with the bodies and the wrecks yet to be recovered.

“The gushing waters flooded sections of the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu and Narok-Mai Mahiu road where some of the bodies were recovered,” said the police boss.

Speaking at the scene, Naivasha MP Jane Kihara termed the incident as a national disaster, adding that they were trying to come to terms with deaths.

She said thatthe floods had swept everything including the houses and personal effects.

“Tens of families have lost their relatives, scores of others are missing as others nurse wounds in hospitals and this is the darkest day in our lives,” she said.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen termed the incident as one of the darkest in the country’s history.

Decisive action

He said that the government will relocate those living in waterways to address the rising death toll.

“We have lost so many people through the ongoing rains and it’s time to take decisive action by evicting all those living near flooded sections,” he said.

Rescuers assess the damage caused by raging waters after the Kijabe dam burst its banks on April 29, 2024. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika while condoling with the affected families said that the county had mobilised all its resources to deal with the disaster.

She said they were working closely with their counterparts from Kiambu where the dam was situated in assisting those affected.

“We have mobilised all the necessary personnel and equipment in addressing this disaster which is worse than the Solai dam incident where 48 people lost their lives,” she said.

Nakuru Lands Executive John Kihagi appealed to striking doctors to resume duty as this was a national disaster that had affected directly and indirectly tens of families.

“We are working with NYS and KeNHA officers in addressing this major tragedy even as we call on those living near rivers to relocate to higher grounds,” he said.

The CO for Public Health Joyce Ncece noted that rescue operations during the incident were hampered by darkness due a power blackout in the region.

“We are working with private hospitals and well-wishers and we are calling for humanitarian support from the national government,” she said.