Kenyan authorities declare dam that killed 40 people illegal, launch investigation

Kenyan officials have come out to declare the dam that burst and caused the death of more than 40 people as illegal.

Patel Dam, in the town of Solai, in the country’s Nakuru County burst, spewing more than 70 million litres of water and causing in its wake destruction of property and death.

On Thursday, the country’s Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) said the private dam is one of the illegal seven dams operated by Patel Coffee Estates.

Simon Wang’ombe, an official of Warma stated that they had been visiting the farm over the years and had pushed the owner, Mansukul Patel, to repair one of the dams as it had been seeping water onto the road.

“We had been pushing him to repair that one but this other one we didn’t anticipate,” Wang’ombe told the Nation.

It is not the first time the dam had burst. In 2015, it broke its banks, marooning a number of farms but there were no injuries or deaths.

Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecution has ordered an investigation into the disaster.