By Kamau Njoroge
Schools in Thika East, Kiambu County are feeling the pinch of the drought ravaging parts of the country as water shortage puts learners’ hygiene and health at risk.
The scarcity is also increasing tension across the region with a section of residents and private firms clashing over use of Ndarugu River which most of the schools depend on as water source.
Gatuanyaga Ward MCA Jackson Kung’u identified one of the worst hit schools as Munyu Girls Secondary school, a boarding school, saying students have been forced to buy the essential commodity at highly inflated costs.
“You can imagine a girls’ school going for days without water. Their hygiene and health is in jeopardy. The situation here is in dire straits,” he said while leading residents in unblocking Ndarugu River where private firms and other Juja residents had diverted the river by obstructing normal flow downstream.
Kung’u said though schools in the area depend on Ndarugu River as their main water source, some people and private investors have diverted the river upstream.
“This is one of the deliberate measures we are taking to ensure that our schools at least get water,” said the MCA.
The locals from Komo, Githima, Magana, Gatuanyaga and Munyu villages in Thika East recently travelled for over 20 kilometres to Juja Farm and Nyacaba areas in Juja sub-county to unblock sections of the river which had been blocked by farmers and residents in a bid to restore the normal river flow downstream.
Kung’u called on the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) to crack down on private firms within Juja sub-county who have blocked Ndarugu River to irrigate their farms thus denying residents their right to enjoy the essential resource.
“We want all relevant authorities to intervene and ensure those who have infringed on the rights of residents are punished,” he said.
Locals noted that the situation has not spared their livestock either, saying they have lost close to 15 cows due to the situation.
