Kiambu: Recurring earth tremors send residents into panic

Residents of parts of Kiambu have raised their concerns and fears following cases of intermittent earth tremors in the area for the third week running. 

The earth tremors were witnessed a fortnight ago with the same recurring on Wednesday morning October 26, 2022, which according to locals were more intense and scary.

Asking both the national and local governments to intervene and advise them accordingly, they said that the same is likely to escalate into a major earthquake. 

Just like last time, the most affected area includes Kiambu town, Limuru town and its environs, Mutarakwa, Ngarariga, Manguo and Ngubi as well as parts of Kikuyu such as Kerwa, Keroe and Nachu.

According to local residents who heard the tremors, the 7.45 am tremors lasted for close to 10 seconds.

The tremors caused visible cracks on a commercial residence in Ndeiya. 

A Star newspaper journalist George Mugo who witnessed the tremors said that it shook his car prompting him to disembark thinking that it was being clamped.

“I had just parked my car after dropping my kids to school only to hear the car shaking”, he said. 

Stanley Muturi, who resides in Manguo area and who was also among those who encountered the tremors last time, said that the tremors were intense.

“The tremors were very intense forcing my house to shake. My fierce dogs barked hysterically and doves and chicken started quacking”, he told the media in Limuru town.

Contacted, Kiambu Environment Executive Officer David Kuria reiterated that the county government is concerned about the tremors and has sought professional advice from experts at the University of Nairobi.

“We asked for their professional advice last time but they are yet to come forth. I have contacted them and I hope this time, we shall get answers,” he said via the phone. 

He said that initial reports from geologists intimate that the earth tremors didn’t register in the national earthquake monitoring systems.

“I do not want to speculate and we are waiting for answers from experts before making any statement as a county”, he said.

An earth tremor is a small earthquake which shakes the ground slightly. At times, the tremor foreshocks precede devastating big quakes.

It’s worth noting that tectonic plates underneath are always in motion, but they get stuck at the edges due to friction.

When the stress in the edges overcomes the friction, an earthquake or earth tremor occurs.

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