Water
Tana Water Works Development Agency (TWWDA) is seeking Sh 63 billion to enhance water supply and improve sanitation services in five counties in the Mount Kenya region, over the next five years. These proposals are contained in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, where TWWDA plans to increase access to quality water services from 57.8 per cent to 90 per cent by 2027.
Similarly, the agency is also targeting to increase sanitation services from 8.1 per cent to 30 per cent by the end of the implementation period. To realize this, the agency will be relying on the government to pump some Sh 8.5 billion in support of the projects, which will be implemented in Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Tharaka-Nithi and Meru counties.
Public Private Partnerships will contribute Sh 30 billion to the plan, while Sh 21.7 billion will be sourced from development partners. The remaining Sh 3.5 billion will be sourced from income generating activities within the agency.
Speaking at a Nyeri hotel during the launch of the strategic plan, TWWDA Chief Executive Officer Eng. Philip Gichuki said that the agency intends to implement 32 water projects in its bid to increase water coverage throughout the five counties. Additionally, the agency has lined up 14 sanitation projects, which will cost the agency Sh8 billion to implement.
“We aim to achieve 90 per cent water coverage by 2027.The strategic plan has set out very specific targets covering specific counties. We have big water supply projects that we really want to reach the population within these counties with adequate water supply. When we do the water projects, we also need to ensure that waste that is generated is handled. Therefore, we will also be having a component for waste management,” explained Eng. Gichuki.
The projects include the construction of a Sh1.6 billion water supply project in Embu County, which will benefit at least 250,000 residents and a Sh1.1 billion bulk water supply project for Kirinyaga targeting 100,000 residents of Kirinyaga South East.
The water agency is also planning to construct a dam in Timau, Meru County at the cost of Sh 9.3 billion. In Nyeri the agency has listed the construction of Muhoya Dam at the cost of Sh 10.44 billion as a key project. Once complete it will supply water to 450,000 residents in parts of Kieni, Tetu, Mathira and Mukurwe-ini constituencies.
Under sanitation, some of the mega projects that will be undertaken by TWWDA include the construction of a Sh 1.5 billion sewerage project, which will serve 100,000 residents of Kagumo, Baricho, Kagio and Sagana in Kirinyaga County. In Nyeri county, some 80,000 residents of Kabiru-ini and Chaka have been earmarked to benefit from the construction of a Sh 1.6 billion sewerage project.
Regarding the government’s decision to announce budget cuts in a bid to seal the budget gaps occasioned by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024, the CEO said that the agency will be working on an adaptive mechanism which will see it implement the projects in the wake of limited resources.
“The budget cuts will definitely affect us because we need to have more human capital to assist us implement and supervise the projects. That will however be solved by adopting technology so that we are able to do more using the same resources that we are getting today,” stated the CEO.
The agency’s board chairman, Wanyaga Gathaka said that the document was developed in consultation with service providers and other stakeholders in the water sector. Gathaka said the agency will now embark on the next phase of implantation which will entail familiarizing the stakeholders with the priority projects to be undertaken.
“We will hand over the strategic plan to service providers and other stakeholders, they need to know what we will be doing for the next five years. We will also sit down and look at the priority areas against the amount of money that we have,” stated Gathaka.
Speaking at the same event, the Administrative Secretary in the State Department for Water and Sanitation, Stephen Kihara, said the Ministry is working to secure water resource in the country. Kihara revealed that as a long-term measure, the ministry is investing in programmes, which will see degraded water catchment areas throughout the country, rehabilitated.
“There is a lot of investment that has been done to ensure the recovery and rehabilitation of water catchment areas as part of ensuring we have enough water,” he said.
