By Jack Ochieng Ohito, DevReporter, Siaya County
Ufinya Dam was the major source of water for the residents of Siaya municipality for roughly four decades.
However, it has been four years since the banks of the dam were opened in a project that was agreed upon by the area residents. According to reports, the dam was to be desilted so that it could accommodate more fish and thereby boost fish farming in the area.
Through the chairman of the project, Mr Maurice Owich, now 53 years old, who also doubles up as the village elder for Uhongo Village, this writer confirmed that the area residents requested for the project as one of their development programmes.
But according to Mr Owich, the project has taken a long time to be completed. “We gave him [the contractor] the benefit of doubt. We did not probe the procedures he used to win the contract neither did we interrogate the whole tendering process. We were just happy that at least our cry had been heard and now the dam would be desilted”.
Taken a long time
The residents now want to know why the dam has not been completed despite the long period of time, contrary to their expectations.
Mr Owich laments that despite the community holding discussions with the local administration on very many occasions, sadly, not much has happened towards the completion of the project.
“We made an appeal to the county government so that the community can get compensated for the delay. But there seems to be no goodwill from relevant entities to bring this into effect,” Mr Owich said.
Now the residents of the area suspect that the tendering process for Ufinya dam was flawed and are therefore calling for investigations.
Other dams within the county which benefitted through funds from the county include Mauna in Ugenya, Ugege dam Futro, Urange dam.
One chilly morning, the dam broke its banks, and water ran over the whole village of Uhongo, Mahinga Uyore and Sulwe, all within Siaya Township location in Alego Usonga Sub County. The water from the dam washed away animals and crops and brought down houses.
Mr Aloice Owino and his wife Grace Awuor from Sulwe village narrated how they witnessed the unusual occurrence from the dam. They said that water filled their house and carried away everything. Despite the seeming humanitarian risk now posed by the dam, Mr Owino argues that the situation at Ufinya dam poses no danger to the people in the area.
Mr Owino opined that for Ufinya dam to be completed, both the affected villagers and the authorities should sit down and figure out the way forward. Also, there should be a better allocation of funds yearly on a rolling basis until the project is completed.
Mr Owino said that the residents and institutions in the area continue to be the losers as long as the work on the dam remains incomplete. For example, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology used to hold its practical sessions at the dam, something, which the university can no longer do. He added: “the dam served over 15 villages through a breather which was created after the dam was constructed by the former national government, and also it served as a practical base for the former ATC.”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the United Nation’s blueprints for a more sustainable future for all, and their adoption puts environmental degradation, sustainability, climate change, and water security under international spotlight.
The Ufinya dam water resources should therefore be conserved and preserved for the residents to continue enjoying clean water supply for domestic and other purposes like irrigation.
