Patel Coffee Estates Limited Managing Director Perry Kansagara, General Manager Vinoj Jaya Kumar and four others spent the weekend in custody/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 9 – A Naivasha court has released the owner of Solai dam and four others on a Sh5 million surety bond or an alternative cash bail of Sh2.5 million.
The court also directed them to deposit their passports in court and report to the area CID chief every fortnight.
They have also been ordered not to leave their current jurisdiction without prior notice.
The pre-trial hearing will be held on August 3, following the May 10 dam tragedy that killed 47 people and left thousands others displaced.
Patel Coffee Estates Limited Managing Director Perry Kansagara, General Manager Vinoj Jaya Kumar and four others spent the weekend in custody.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), detectives in discovered that the dam’s construction was done by unqualified staff using farm equipment leading to construction and design flaws.
The dam’s water was being supplied by the Watkins Stream, which was abstracted completely by the owner.
The water permit in respect to the dam, which expires on December 5, 2018 was irregularly issued.
The DPP further found that there was failure by the owners, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Water Resources Authority (WRA) to ensure environmental compliance.
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