Mai Mahiu tragedy: Human rights body faults gov't resettlement process

While calling for transparency, the commission accused the government of forcing out the families from two camps into rented houses without offering a long lasting solution.

This came as the government closed the last two camps that had been hosting the families and offered them three months' rent despite some of the victims rejecting the move.

According to the commission's Deputy Executive Director Cornelius Odour, the exercise was marred with uncertainty with fears that the government would not meet its obligations.

He said that a month after the incident, some of the victims had been forced to return to their damaged houses while others had been taken into rental houses.

Speaking in Mai Mahiu, Odour said that there were allegations that the list of the victims had been tampered with by the administrators with genuine families left out.

He added that the commission had filed a case in court seeking compensation for the families that were affected by the tragedy which occurred after a water formation burst in Old Kijabe area.

One of the victims, Eunice Wanjiru, whose home was damaged said that their family had been locked from the list of beneficiaries despite losing all their personal effects.

This was echoed by Naftali Gikonyo, who said that there was uncertainty over their resettlement after all the camps were closed down and the families were taken to rental houses.

"The government said that it had set aside Ksh.300m for our resettlement and no one is talking about that and we are wondering what will happen next," Gikonyo states.

On her part, Mary Muthoni who lost eight family members said that she arrived home from hospital to find that her family had been taken to a rental house in Mai Mahiu Town.