Kenya dam owner to compensate 2018 flooding victims

The families of the victims of the 2018 dam disaster in Kenya have reached an out-of-court settlement with the owner of the facility.

In an agreement mediated by Kenya's Human Rights Commission, the owner agreed to pay Ksh1.2 million ($8,000) for adults and Ksh800,000 ($5,300) for minors lost in the tragedy, the commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in 2018 when the dam collapsed after heavy rains, and water flooded through the fields of a 3,000-acre commercial coffee farm, sweeping away homes and crop farms downstream.

At least 47 people including 20 children were killed according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

Thousands were displaced from their homes as the dam water swept through neighboring villages.

In the case, the dam owners were charged with several offences, including failing to prepare an environmental impact assessment report before building the facility.

Experts had told the court that the dam, located in Nakuru country, court lacked a proper drainage system.