Infrastructure

Karimenu Water Dam

The 59-metre-high dam occupies a 600-acre site.

Updated on

January 27, 2024

The renowned Karimenu 2 Dam is a 59-metre-high water reservoir located in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, 75 km north of Nairobi.

The Karimenu II Dam, which sits on 600 acres, was built at a cost of Sh24 billion, jointly funded by the Government of Kenya and the China Exim Bank.

The project was implemented through a joint venture between the International Holding Corporation and the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute.

The 26,540,000 cubic meter dam was officially opened in August 2022 after three years of work, according to a deal signed by the stakeholders in May 2017.

The Karimenu water dam, located 50 km west of Thika town, supplies about 70 million litres of water on a daily basis for irrigation and domestic use.

Construction of the dam began in April 2019, but the project stalled several times following protests by residents over unsettled compensation.

In August 2020, angry citizens who had not received compensation for their ancestral land expelled the contractor and threatened to occupy the site until they were compensated.

The disgruntled residents who were affected by phase two of the project accused the builder of encroaching on their land and beginning excavation works without their consent.

In phase one of the project, locals held protests that ended in the ejection of the contractor from the site, derailing a project that is expected to boost water supply in Thika, Juja, Ruiru, and parts of Nairobi.

The issues were later resolved.