Manskuh Patel, the father of the owner of the killer Solai Dam in Nakuru county has passed away at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi due to a cardiac arrest.
Mansukh Patel came to the public limelight following a tragic accident on a vast farm owned by his son in Subukia. Patel dam burst its banks after particularly heavy rainfall upstream.
A home destroyed by the waters of Solai dam/ Photo Courtesy
According to reports from survivors, they heard a huge bang at around 9 pm on Wednesday 9th May 2018 before a wall of water metres high swept through homesteads submerging close to 300 houses. over 2500 people were left homeless.
Thick black mud trapped dozens as rescue efforts continued into the wee hours of the night. By the next day, the death toll had reached 32 people. It would rise even further as 16 more bodies were found buried underneath the mud.
The Patel Milmet dam was one of five earthen embankment dams located on the Patel owned 3500 acres farm, Solai Roses. It had a capacity of 200,000 cubic metres.
In 2018, Mansukh's son Perry was charged alongside 8 others with 48 counts of manslaughter. The case collapsed in February 2020 after Naivasha Chief Magistrate acquitted the nine on all charges.
The magistrate laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) claiming there was a lack of willingness and support from the office.
In April of the same year, the ODPP managed to secure a rare win in the case after the judgement was overturned by justice Richard Mwongo ruled that the Magistrates Court had erred in acquitting the accused people.
