The national government is seeking Sh4 billion to build a sewerage system in Murang’a county, Water PS Joseph Wairagu has said.
Wairagu on Wednesday said they have written a proposal to the Arab Development Bank for funding to implement the Murang’a Cluster Water and Sanitation project.
The funds will be used to build sewer lines in Kenol, Maragua, Kiriaini, Kangema and Kangari towns. Only Murang’a town has a sewerage system.
The PS said residents were at risk of contracting diseases. More than 80 per cent of water consumed in Nairobi is sourced from Murang’a through Ndakaini Dam.
Wairagu said an efficient sanitation system was needed to improve the quality of water both in Murang’a and in the capital.
The PS spoke during an inspection tour of the projects.
He said the Sh6.4 billion Northern Collector Tunnel will be commissioned before December 12 next year.
The tunnel is expected to increase supply by channeling 140,000 cubic metres of water per day to the city.
The tunnel measuring 11.8km by three metres is 55 per cent complete. Auxiliary works, including the construction of Kigoro treatment plant in Gatanga and a pipeline to Nairobi, will all be completed by next year.
“We are building a pipeline from Ndakaini to the Kigoro treatment plant. It will then be extended to Gigiri from where the water will be distributed,” Wairagu said.
The PS said the plan is to ensure President Uhuru Kenyatta commissions the tunnel before next year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations.
The public holiday is celebrated on December 12. The ministry is drafting a water and irrigation master plan for the county at a cost of Sh100 million, the PS said.
The plan, to be funded by the World Bank, will be completed by November in readiness for the implementation of the project.
Construction of water and irrigation projects at a cost of Sh3.5 billion is at various stages of implementation.
The Sh2.4 billion Ithanga water project is 60 per cent complete. It is being funded by the Belgian government and will provide water for both irrigation and domestic use.
Other projects include Gatango (Sh250 million), Kahuti (Sh280 million), Gatanga (Sh250 million) and Ichichi Makomboki (Sh300 million).
“These projects will increase water coverage in Murang’a from the current 70 per cent to 100 per cent in the next four years,” Wairagu said.