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We cannot replace a dam with a bus park, Governor Wavinya tells Senate after backlash
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has dissociated her administration from a sustained push to drain Tala Dam at the heart of Tala Township and replace it with a bus station.
Addressing a Senate committee, Ms Ndeti instead pledged the commitment of her administration to the rehabilitation of the 90-year-old reservoir, which is heavily polluted.
“There is no way we can replace a dam with a bus park. That one is out of the question,” she said.
A section of Tala Dam in Machakos County on January 21, 2026. A plan mooted by Machakos County government to drain the 90-year-old dam to create room for a bus park has sparked widespread condemnation.
The county boss was responding to a question by Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu when she appeared before the Senate County Public Investment and Social Funds Committee on Thursday.
Ms Ndeti’s statement came against the backdrop of intense outcry by Tala Township residents and traders over a sustained push to drain the dam and replace it with a bus station. Those opposed to the plan say the move is set to plunge the region into untold water shortage.
“We depend on Tala Dam to cope with drought since Tala Township sits in a semi-arid region which receives little rainfall. The dam is our main source of water. It recharges our shallow wells and boreholes. No one should therefore be thinking of draining the dam,” said James Mwovi.
The chairman of Kwa Mating’i Farmers’ Cooperative Society is among some 800 residents and traders who have collected signatures to push back on the planned flattening of the dam.
A public participation forum on the planned draining of the dam which was scheduled for Thursday, January 22, has since been postponed indefinitely.
“We postponed the planned public participation exercise on the proposed draining of Tala Dam after learning that the technical officials from the Water Resources Authority (WRA) who would have led the exercise were engaged elsewhere,” Tala MCA Jackson Ndaka told the Nation in an interview.
A section of Tala Dam in Machakos County on January 21, 2026. A plan mooted by Machakos County government to drain the 90-year-old dam to create room for a bus park has sparked widespread condemnation.
Mr Ndaka is the face of powerful forces behind the push to flatten Tala Dam, which sits on three acres. He argues that it sits on the path of the town’s growth.
“Until Tala Dam is drained, Tala Township will stagnate,” he said.
Kangundo Tala Municipality manager Justus Kiteng’u said heavy pollution had rendered Tala Dam useless.
“In its current state Tala Dam is a cesspool. We are aware that some people drain raw sewage into it. WRA officials have collected water samples for testing. We shall announce the results publicly for all to see,” he said.
Mr Ndeti concurred that the Tala Dam is heavily polluted.
She blamed the problem on a sanitation crisis in Tala Township and directed Machakos County Secretary Muya Ndambuki to ensure the problem is resolved.
“Our water and sanitation companies have not been doing their work. Most of the sewerage has been heading to the dam. That is why we need proper restructuring of the water companies especially in the urban areas. People build houses and connect sewer to the drainage and it finds its way into the dam. That is why we are being very firm now in making sure that we take action on anybody who we find draining sewer into the dam,” she said.
A woman washes her clothes near Tala Dam
The tug of war over the fate of Tala Dam has shed light on the historical dam, which some residents describe as a crime scene.
“The number of bodies retrieved from Tala Dam recently is countless,” a resident said.
Kioko Luka, a former chairman of the Machakos County Public Service Board, says the discussion over Tala Dam had presented Ms Ndeti’s administration with an opportunity to draw an elaborate Tala Township plan which aligns with the town’s rapid growth.
“We need a bus park and even a good open market complete with sheds for our small-scale traders. The county government, through Tala Municipality, should explore the possibility of compulsory acquisition of undeveloped land around Tala Township and develop a market and a bus park,” he said.
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