A bitter conflict over water is brewing in the shadow of Mount Kenya, as residents of Laikipia East accuse large-scale upstream farmers of strangling the lifeline of the region: River Sirimon.

For communities in Umande ward, the river has ceased to be a source of life and has become a symbol of inequality. While their taps run dry and livestock perish, they claim that wealthy horticultural estates upstream are illegally diverting the flow, filling private reservoirs while the riverbed downstream turns into a dusty track. The situation has reached a boiling point, with residents demanding immediate government intervention to avert violence.

The Thirst of the Many vs. The Greed of the Few

"We have not seen water since December," says Francis Maina, a local farmer whose crop has withered. "How can one person block a river that supports thousands?" The allegations point to a systemic failure in water governance, where abstraction permits are abused, and the Water Resources Authority (WRA) is accused of sleeping on the job.

River Sirimon is crucial not just for domestic use but for the fragile ecosystem of the Ewaso Ng'iro basin. Its drying up threatens wildlife conservancies and pastoralist routes, creating a tinderbox for inter-community conflict.

• The Reality: Families are now walking kilometers to fetch water from unreliable boreholes, exposing them to waterborne diseases.
• The Demand: Residents want all illegal intakes destroyed and a moratorium on new abstraction permits until the river's flow is restored.

A Looming Crisis

The water wars of Laikipia are a microcosm of a global crisis, but for the mother in Umande unable to wash her children, it is personal and immediate. If the "water cartels" are not reined in, the next clash will not be fought with words, but with pangas.

Authorities must act now to enforce the law. The right to water is universal, not a privilege for those who can afford to dam a river.