Worry over relocation to pave way for High Grand Falls Dam
President Willliam Ruto with the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during the United Nations Climate Change conference COP 27, at Sharm El Sheikh Congress Centre, Egypt. The UK has agreed to finance the construction of the High Grand Falls Dam.
While the proposed Sh425 billion High Grand Falls Dam is good news to the rest of the country, thousands of residents of Tharaka-Nithi, Kitui and Embu counties are set to be relocated to pave way for the project.
The United Kingdom has agreed to finance the construction of the dam, one of six Sh500 billion projects to be undertaken under a new strategic partnership.
Tharaka-Nithi residents and leaders have raised concerns about the proposed project. This is after it emerged that at least six locations in Tharaka constituency – Gituma, Maragwa, Kirukuma, Kamwathu, Kamarandi and Marimanti – will be affected.
According to a feasibility study conducted in 2012 by Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (Tarda), at least 4,500 households were set to be affected in the three counties with Tharaka-Nithi being the most affected.
Though there are those who are against moving from their lands to allow the construction of the dam, the main concern is how compensation would be done. Both leaders and residents are worried that the government may not offer adequate compensation to enable them to acquire land elsewhere.
Resettling residents
Speaking during a site visit, former Tarda Chief Executive Officer Steven Githaiga said the former proposed Chinese contractor had set aside Sh6 billion for resettling residents. He said the displaced would not get monetary compensation noting that most of those who were paid to allow for the construction of Masinga and Kiambere dams live miserably as squatters.
He said that according to the initial plans, those who would be displaced in Tharaka-Nithi were to be resettled in Tsekulu area in Kitui, but local politicians opposed the plan.
Yesterday, Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara said that even though he supports the construction of the dam, those to be affected must be given adequate monetary compensation and not resettlement.
“People must be compensated with enough money so that they can choose where they would like to resettle,” he said. He added that the 2012 feasibility study is outdated and another one should be conducted to capture the current situation for appropriate compensation.
The lawmaker added that apart from compensation on physical properties like land and buildings, there should be communal reparation. He noted that all public institutions such as schools and hospitals which will be affected must also be established in other places, especially where most of the people will resettle.
“There must be enough public participation in order to clearly explain to the people the progress,” said Mr Murugara.
The MP said the local leadership will seek to have a memorandum of understanding with the contractor and the government to employ locals.
Mr Simon Ndonco, president of a local organisation that promotes positive cultural practices in the Tharaka community opposed the relocation of the people from their ancestral land. He said residents have a lot of attachment to their land where they have buried their ancestors.
