Revealed: Burst man-made gulley caused Maai Mahiu tragedy

The raging waters that killed 46 people and left dozens others injured in Maai Mahiu came from a water-filled gulley in Kiambu that flowed down to Naivasha Sub-County, not from a dam, the Water Resources Management Authority (Warma) has said.   

The Business Daily has established that the waters originated from a gulley near a railway line that was blocked, thus forming a temporary water catchment over time. With the onset of the heavy rains, the gulley burst, leading to water collected flowing to lower-lying areas and leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.

Footage from a drone showed the gulley still had some water flowing on Monday afternoon. The raging waters also appear to have destroyed part of the Nairobi-Nakuru railway line which was swept away.

Warma chief executive Mohamed Shurie told the Business Daily that the raging waters originated from a deep gulley "formed due to erosion".

"The water did not originate from a known dam, but a deep gulley/valley. The nearest dam is about 15 kilometres away," he said.

He said Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya will issue a detailed statement about the matter on Tuesday.