Murang'a water firm partners with American NGO

Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company has partnered with an American NGO to enhance its services  and become a model in Africa.

The partnership with Can Do Kids will establish a world-class laboratory at the firm’s Kiawambeu water treatment lab.

It will have modern equipment and chemicals, enabling the firm to provide water meeting international standards.

Muwasco MD Daniel Ng’ang’a said the laboratory will provide employment to young people while providing clean water to more than 100,000 customers.

The numbers will be increased to about 150,000 after more storage tanks are built

It will also build the capacity of Muwasco’s workers and provide an opportunity for other water companies in Kenya and other countries to learn from best practices," he said.

“We test our water every hour to ensure what we supply is of good quality. The lab will boost our quality and expose our workers to the best water treatment practices. We will do the construction while our partners will provide the modern equipment,” Ng'ang'a said.

The two parties will jointly build three high-capacity storage tanks to ensure water supply is steady. They already have built one. 

One tank established at Karechiungu will provide water to Kiangage area that receives water once a week from Kahuti Water and Sewerage Company that covers the area.

The tank has been built at the Karechiungu coffee factory following consultations with farmers who agreed. The water firm will do the last-mile connectivity.

Ng’ang’a said the national government has sunk a number of boreholes in the area to increase supply.

The NGO’s local coordinator Karanja Mburu wa Matangi said three other water tanks will be established at Kabuta, Gikuo and Muchungucha areas. They will provide water to more than 40,000 households.

Karanja said Can Do Kids is in talks with American universities such as  Illinois State University in hopes they can help fund the lab.

“Our goal is to make it the best laboratory in Africa so other countries can come to learn from it,” Karanja said.

The NGO’s partnership with Muwasco started in 2019 and has helped improve residents' livelihoods.

“Our main aim is to ensure there is enough water storage to boost distribution,” he added.

The NGO has established more than 40 water tanks in Kenya and aims to build about 200 by the end of the year.

Karanja said his organisation’s vision is to help solve the shortage  of clean water in schools, given children more learning hours, instead of time spent trekking to fetch water.

The tanks will enable the schools to harvest rain water and facilitate school feeding programmes.

Ryan McDonald, a member of the NGO board, said the organisation has been focusing on tanks to improve hygiene in primary schools but it will now shift its focus to the community.

The NGO is a faith-based organisation that provides Bible teachings to children in the United States. It has been funding community projects, such as supporting children's homes and equipping polytechnics.

(Edited by V. Graham)