Water company to compensate Nyeri fish farmers

The Nyeri Water Services Company (Nyewasco) will compensate farmers whose fish died after a raw sewage pipe discharged effluent into ponds in April.

Nyewasco managing director Joseph Nguiguti said the company was waiting for fishery officials to assess the damages so that it can compensate the farmers.

An assessment done by the farmers concluded that they had lost Sh900,000 following the death of 18,000 fish that died in the six ponds.

The water company had initially denied responsibility and taken samples to the government chemist to establish the cause of death.

Mr Nguiguti had said that flood water containing poisonous chemicals had caused the deaths.

The fish died after a blocked manhole discharged effluent into Githwariga stream which provides the ponds with water.

The farmers were about to harvest the tilapia fish which they reared under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP).

The government pumped in Sh25,000 for the construction of each pond and provided the farmers with fish feeds for three months and 1,000 fingerings.

enthiga@ke.nationmedia.com