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{
    "id": 800204,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/800204/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 24,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "(v) Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Junior, MP; (vi) Sen. (Prof.) Imana Malachy, MP; (vii) Sen. (Arch.) Sylvia Kasanga, MP; (viii) Sen. Ledama Olekina, MP; and (ix) Sen. Susan Kihika, MP. AND FURTHER THAT the Select Committee reports back to the Senate within 60 calendar days after its establishment. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to move this Motion on the establishment of the Select Committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the Solai Dam tragedy. It was one of those horrendous tragedies that we all woke up to. We saw the kind of loss that can occur due to negligence of different parties that are put together to make sure that there is sanity in this area. It is because of this that I bring this Motion to establish a Select Committee to get to the bottom of what happened on that day and also beyond that, have the Committee determine if there was negligence on any party. The committee should also find out different ways that the victims, survivors and the homeless can be compensated in a bid to make them whole again. The Committee should also determine whether some of the agencies that have been entrusted with ensuring that this sort of disasters do not happen have been carrying out their jobs properly. If not, the Committee should then look into what needs to be done so that this does not keep happening. Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow me to give a little bit of a background. When this incident occurred and the dam burst its walls, it was late at night; at about 8.30 p.m. When the dam – which is build upstream and had more water than it had been licensed to carry – broke its banks, it caused so much damage that it carried away two whole villages. It was a wave that was about a metre and a half high that travelled downstream very quickly to the settlements further downstream. This very powerful wave travelled for about 15 kilometres and it caused a lot of damage in its wake. Like I said earlier, a lot of people lost their lives as a result. At the moment, the count is 48 people, but many more were injured and hundreds were rendered homeless. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also take note that the Senate Standing Committee on Security, Defence and Foreign Relations visited that area immediately this tragedy occurred. The Committee was led by our able Chairman, Sen. Haji and Committee Members Sen. Dullo, Sen. Kwamboka and I. We were able to get to the ground very quickly for a fact finding mission. This Motion is in pursuit of the initial findings of this Committee, which recommended that a Select Committee of the Senate be established for thorough investigations on the circumstances surrounding the breaking of the walls of the dam and the subsequent catastrophe. The rallying call for this Select Committee of the House is to ensure justice for the victims as well as to make recommendations on how to prevent such occurrences in the future. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me focus on the killer dam. Reports from an initial investigation indicate that a wall of the dam build on high ground plunged down in darkness, sweeping homes, cars, mud and huge rocks towards sleeping villages. The flood waters swept across Nyakinyua village at a very high speed, washing away homes The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}