Water
Makueni County Government has collaborated with several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to alleviate water shortage and improve irrigation systems in the area.
The County Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. has said the partnership aimed at ensuring a reliable water supply to the residents, besides initiating irrigation activities by farmers in a bid to enhance their food security.
The governor revealed that the move would also ensure proper implementation of water projects and offer sustainable water management solutions to alleviate the water problem in the area.
“We have collaborated with the NGOs to discuss and agree on how to fund water projects to effectively ensure sufficient water supply to local residents,” said Mutula, while speaking during the County Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) multi-stakeholder Forum, held at a Hotel in Wote town.
“By working together, we will ensure enough funding and, through construction of more dams and boreholes, we will provide every household with sufficient water,” he added.
Among the NGOs present, and which are involved in implementing water projects in the county were World Vision, USAID-Sustainable Transformational and Accessible Water Interventions (STAWI) and Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH).
During the event, the governor disclosed that the county residents were faced with a water shortage of about 30,000 cubic meters daily, hence need to work round the clock and alleviate the problem, which continued to worsen, with the corresponding increase of population in the area.
“The county’s daily demand for water stands at 60,000 cubic meters, but currently, only half of this amount is being supplied. This significant shortfall poses a serious problem to the citizens of Makueni County,” he noted.
On revenue collection, Mutula lamented that local water companies were experiencing a 30% loss of the precious commodity due to illegal connections of water pipelines, which would be disconnected henceforth to ensure water reached only those paying for the services.
Speaking at the same forum, the Chief of Party USAID-STAWI Bob Kisyula assured the community that the concerned stakeholders in the water sector would work together to ensure transparency and accountability, with a view to preventing other NGOs from unfairly taking credit of their projects.
“We shall work closely with World Vision, Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH) and other NGOS and stand with the governor by ensuring that we meet our aim of alleviating scarcity of water in Makueni,” said Kisyula.
On his part, the County Executive for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Eng. John Kieti said they intend to spend Sh4.8 million by 2028 to improve access to water by constructing bulk water storages, drilling of water boreholes and installing water distribution pipe lines of about 350 kilometers across the county.
