ACT Wazalendo through its sectorial spokesperson for water and environment, Ms Ester Thomas, has strongly rebuked the report on river Mara contamination released to the public on March 19, 2022. 

The report met with public uproar, with some citing deception and corruption intending to hide the truth from the public. ACT vehemently disapproves the findings of an investigation led by Prof Samwel Manyele, a chemical engineer Professor from the University of Dar es Salaam.

Prof Manyele’s team of 10 experts presented that high concentration animal urine and faeces into the river led to the pollution that saw change in colour of river’s water, bad smell, also decomposed and invasive weeds that led to a decrease in oxygen in the water, killing aquatic organisms, mainly fishes. 

ACT says those results are fabricated, and the Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office responsible for Union and Environment, Dr Selemani Jafo, and the team he appointed to undertake the task care neither people’s lives nor the national interests.

Read more: This is what killed thousand of fish in river Mara 

ACT provides several reasons to reject Prof Manyele’s report and call Jaffo to resign with an immediate effect.  

1. Prof Manyele’s March 19, 2022 report contradicts lake victoria’s water basin lab results of March 12, 2022, which found a huge amount of oil and grease in the water that suffocated the fish.
2. The government has not taken any proactive measures to help citizens and their animals affected by consuming contaminated water in river Mara.
3. ACT Wazalendo believes Prof Manyele’s report is mired by deception to smokescreen the truth about the actual cause of river Mara’s contamination.

ACT urges the government to form an independent committee and repeat the investigation and release the results as soon as possible. In the meantime, the government should take care of all those affected by the contaminated water of river Mara.