A 70-year old Miano Kaminja in Kirinyaga County is languishing in abject poverty despite having raked in millions of shillings from a compensation plan by the government.
Miano Kaminja, a former peasant farmer, was paid Sh7 Million as compensation for his two-and-half acre piece of land that was used for the construction of Rukenya Irrigation Dam in Kirinyaga.
He was among 600 families who shared Sh5 Billion from the Government in 2013 to pave the way for construction of the Sh19 Billion dam.
Upon receiving his share, Mr Kaminja squandered the fortune in a span of three months through unplanned lavish spending, rolling himself back to poverty.
Speaking to a local daily, Mr Kaminja revealed that after receiving the money, he immediately chased away his two sons and wife, then relocated to a hotel where he paid Sh3,000 per day.
The 70-year old man, who now lives under the mercy of friends and relatives, also bought himself a car which he ensured was parked at the spot reserved for the hotel owner despite having no one to drive it.
Tragedy struck upon learning that he had run out of cash. Kaminja in a panic mode rushed to his car, ignited it and accelerated to full speed despite having no driving skills.
The result was a fatal accident where he sustained serious injuries after crashing into a concrete wall.He was admitted to a local private health facility, which discharged him prematurely upon realizing that he was in no position to foot the bill.
Prior to his downfall, some fake friends who emerged out of the blue cashed in from Kaminja’s compensation proceeds and entertained female companions in posh local entertainment spots.
According to the distraught former farmer, people masquerading as land valuers were not left behind in syphoning cash off his bag of money.
The con artists extorted money from the old man by claiming that the Sh7 Million awarded to him was ‘too little’ and the government should have paid him Sh64 Million, something Kaminja still believes as he was given fake valuation documents.
Kaminja said that when he will get the Sh64 million he will buy a big car and build a big hotel.The Sh5 Billion compensation was based on the size of land and development, and Kaminja was among those who received the least amount as his land did not have any substantial development.
Kaminja’s fate also befell a number of other people from the area who, like the 70-year old, blew their monies plunging into a life of misery and tears.