Families of those killed in the 2018 Kenya dam disaster have agreed to an extrajudicial compensation with the owner of the facility, Kenya's Human Rights Commission (KHRC) revealed.
In a compromise brokered by KHRC, the owner agreed to pay Ksh1.2 million ($8,000) for adults and Ksh800,000 ($5,300) for minors killed in the disaster.
According to the commission, a dam collapse on May 9, 2018, killed 47 people, 20 of them children, and led to manslaughter charges against nine people, including the dam's owner and employees.
Milmet Dam was one of five earthen embankment dams owned by Mansukul Patel on the private land of his 1,400-hectare commercial rose farm, Solai Roses.
Patel himself, nearly a week after the dam collapse, expressed condolences to the affected families and pledged to help provide resources for the displaced. According to authorities, thousands of people were displaced from their homes as water from the dam rushed into neighboring villages.
The dam collapse was caused by excessive rainfall in East Africa, which began in March 2018. Following a year of severe drought, heavy rains caused massive flooding in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Somalia, affecting nearly one million people.