13 victims of Mai Mahiu tragedy laid to rest

Emotions ran high in Mai Mahiu, Naivasha as thirteen of the 61 people who died last week following the dam-tragedy were laid to rest.

Tears flowed freely as relatives and friends tried to come to terms with the death of their kin with 37 people still missing after the incident.

Of the 13 who were buried in different locations, three were minors even as families of those missing called on the government to support them to get their bodies.

The joint memorial service was held at Kamucira village a few kilometers from the scene of the Monday morning incident before each family retreated to their homes to bury their kin.

The service came a day after the DP Rigathi Gachagua led leaders in a requiem mass where each of the affected families received between Ksh 150,000 and Ksh 200,000 as burial expenses.

According to Naivasha MP Jane Kihara, the government would continue to stand with the affected families as they started to rebuild their homes.

An emotional Kihara said that the tragedy had taken a toll on her as she tried to come to terms with the deaths of so many people including 15 minors.

“Am still traumatized by the whole incident and I have so many unanswered questions but I leave everything to God as he is the comforter,” she said.

She retaliated the promise by the government that all those affected would be resettled elsewhere and assisted in constructing their houses.

“The President and his Deputy have promised that all the affected families will be resettled and we shall walk with you throughout this painful journey,” she said.

Some of the relatives said that they would never forget the day having lost their kin, friends, neighbors and all their personal effects.

According to Esther Njeri who lost two relatives, the incident marked the darkest day for the families, many of whom were still traumatized by the harrowing ordeal.

She called on teachers to be understandable in case those minors affected by the tragedy failed to report to classes on Monday when schools reopen.

“Many of these victims are in need of mental support due to what they went through and we hope that teachers in different schools will support them,” she said.

A friend Francis Mungai lauded the plan to resettle the victims while calling for an assessment of the scene of the incident to avoid future calamities.

“We are still trying to come to terms with this incident that claimed so many people and we pray that no other family undergoes such pain,” he said.