The information we have is that the farm is a mix farming enterprise covering 5000 acres. It includes cattle, avocados, macadamia nuts, tea, coffee and 20 acres of roses, Solai Roses, all irrigated from more than 6 dams on the farm.
At present there is no information of where the dam that failed was located with respect to the farming activities and the other dams on the farm but it was located above a densely populated area. Kenya has been experiencing extremely heavy rainfall over the last 2 months and there has been widespread flooding.
The construction of all dams in Kenya is regulated and licensed by the Water Resources Management Authority. A task force has been formed by the Government to investigate the tragedy and identify the cause of the failure and to ascertain if the dam structure met all regulatory requirements. It would be inappropriate to speculate whilst the work of the task force is ongoing.
Solai Roses is not a member of Kenya Flower Council. However, to answer one query that has been raised in connection with certification and compliance, it is a requirement that KFC's Silver Certified members meet all National and County Government statutory regulations, including having a valid permit for all points of water abstraction. Where the abstraction point of water is from a reservoir formed by a dam, and if the dam structure is more than 5 meters high, then it must be designed and constructed under the supervision of a licensed water engineer. The validity of water permits is checked during an audit.
For more information
Kenya Flower Council
www.kenyaflowercouncil.org