A New Home, a Lost Heritage: Our Experiences with Resettlement at the Mwache Dam Project
PROJECT AFFECTED PERSONS (PAPS) RESETTLEMENT
A new home can offer the promise of a better life, but leaving behind familiar surroundings, cherished memories and land that has sustained a family for generations is never easy. For families affected by the Mwache Multipurpose Dam Project in Kwale County, resettlement has brought new opportunities for some, while others continue to face uncertainty about what the future holds.
For Mambo Tungwa, who relocated from Fulugani near the dam construction site, the move has marked a significant change in his life. Today, he has a new home, businesses and rental houses that offer opportunities to rebuild his livelihood.
“I used to live in Fulugani, near the project, but now I am here. My life is completely different. Here, I have my businesses and rental houses because of this project. The house I lived in before had three rooms and a rough floor. I was not satisfied with it, but I am happy with where I live now,” he says.
For Tungwa, resettlement has opened doors to new possibilities. His experience reflects the hope that a fresh start can bring, even as he continues working to establish a reliable source of livelihood in his new surroundings.
Rebuilding lives in new surroundings
Henry Mghala Chai has also experienced the transition. Relocating to Pumwani, a few kilometres from his former home, he purchased land and built a new house for his family.
The project brought good things. It has changed my life. The house I live in now is better off than the old one. Honestly, I am happy to move to this new place,” he says.
Henry is pleased with the land and the relocation of his family to the new area. His experience illustrates how compensation and the freedom to make decisions about relocation can help families establish new homes and begin rebuilding their lives.
The Mwache Dam Project’s resettlement programme covers approximately 4,000 Project-Affected Households (PAHs) across Resettlement Action Plans 1, 2 and 3. Through a self-managed relocation approach requested by the community, affected households receive compensation and make their own decisions about purchasing land and establishing new homes.
Paul Mutavi, a resettlement expert with Frontman Consultants, explains that this approach recognises the knowledge and choices of affected families, allowing them to use their resources according to their needs.
Yet, not everyone views leaving home with the same optimism.
When leaving home means losing a livelihood
For Mzee Mwamlongo Ngala, the Mwache River is more than a familiar landmark. His farm, located near the river on the periphery of the project area, has sustained him for many years. Through farming and growing vegetables, he has built his livelihood and established a deep attachment to the land.
“I used to farm near the river. Vegetables are what have brought me to where I am today. I do not know where I will go or what work I will do if I leave. For many years, I have depended on farming using water from this river,” he says.
Ngala’s uncertainty highlights a different side of resettlement. While a new house may improve living conditions, replacing a livelihood built over decades is far more complicated. His concern is not simply about where to live, but how to continue earning a living away from the river that has sustained him.
The experiences of Tungwa, Henry and Ngala show that resettlement is more than moving from one home to another. It involves rebuilding livelihoods, adjusting to new surroundings and coming to terms with what must be left behind.
As the Mwache Dam Project progresses, their experiences underscore the importance of listening to affected families, supporting livelihood restoration and ensuring that the transition to new homes also offers realistic opportunities for the future.
For some, a new home represents a fresh beginning. For others, the hardest question remains: how do you rebuild a life when the land that sustained you is part of the past?
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