Water and Sanitation Minister Simon Chelugui said it did not meet regulations, but the general manager of the farm denied that the dam lacked the necessary approvals
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A dam on a Kenyan commercial farm that burst this week, killing at least 47
people, was built illegally,
That's according to the water resource regulator.
Water and Sanitation Minister Simon Chelugui said it did not meet regulations, and
that the Water Resources Authority had been pursuing the owner
to make them compliant.
Chelugui added that a team would inspect dams countrywide.
Meanwhile, the general manager of the 3,500-acre farm, Vinoj Jayakumar,
blamed the collapse on torrential rain and denied that the dam
had been defective or lacked the necessary approvals.
The disaster is likely to put a spotlight on the regulation
of Kenya's cut-flower industry, which has grown dramatically in
the last two decades.
Amid domestic reports that the dam had not passed government
engineering checks, the chief prosecutor ordered police to open
an immediate investigation and report back within a fortnight.