Governor Godhana: KenGen to blame for Tana River flooding

Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana has blamed the flooding witnessed in the county on Kenya Electricity Generating Company, KenGen.

Speaking to Waihiga Mwaura on Citizen Extra on Monday, Governor Godhana stated that the flooding was brought about by the power producing giant’s opening of two dams.

“The first wave of floods did not have a very serious impact on the people. The second wave came out of the opening of the two dams,” said Godhana.

When asked whether he had spoken to the management of the dams concerning his claims, the governor said that KenGen had even announced to them that they would be opening up the dams prior to actually doing it.

“They told us… it was announced… that ‘we’re going to open this dam here’… when we were in Kakamega. And so they opened the first one and then the other one.”

Godhana noted that it was the opening up of the dams that brought in the second wave of flooding that resulted in the loss of 12 lives, displacement of many more and property damages.

“It is that sum total of the rain plus the flooding plus the opening of the dams that brought in the situation that we are in today.”

Governor Godhana further slammed KenGen for failing to take responsibility for their actions by not coming in to help in any way during the aftermath.

“When they’re holding the waters, we don’t see KenGen coming in to bring relief supplies. When there are floods even today, KenGen has not come in to say ‘sorry for this, let us do this…’ They’re still going on with their programs.”