Residents of Machakos County living around Maruba Dam are facing water shortages for the first time in years as the effects of governor Alfred Mutua’s ‘tourism development’ sets in.
Dr. Mutua diverted water form Maruba Dam to Machakos People’s Park to be used to water grass and also for canoeing (boat riding). However, for people upstream, this was akin to destroying their very livelihood as the dam served as their only water reservoir.
“When we first complained we were told we are anti-development. Now the dam is drying up and people are really getting scared about what it means. There is no water in this area and this dam was our only source of water,” said Nduku, a resident of the area.
At the park, it also happens that canoeing cannot happen and the boats, bought at a whooping sh 115 million, remain a white elephant project.
Governor Mutua’s Formula 1 project has also stalled as the Arab investors who were to co-sponsor it have since pulled out, claiming Machakos is ‘too rural and poor’ for such a celebrity venture.
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