Murang'a water wrangles escalate, residents ask regulator to keep off

A section of Maragua residents now want the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) to keep off wrangles involving two water companies in Murang’a County.

The residents who spoke during a public baraza held in the Muchagara area castigated the board for writing a letter instructing Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company (Muwasco) to desist from offering services in the Maragua area.

The company which is based in Murang’a town started offering water services in the area last year after it was given consent by Governor Irungu Kang’ata.

This was after Murang’a South Water and Sanitation Company (Muswasco) failed to heed to a directive issued by Wasreb that compelled water firms to transfer their ownership to county governments by July last year.

The two companies have been feuding for the last three years following the construction of the Sh800 million Maragua dam by the national government.

Located in Maragua constituency, the dam is set to provide 15,000 cubic metres of water daily to residents in Maragua town, the semi-arid Maragua Ridge, Kambiti and Saba Saba areas for domestic and irrigation purposes.

The wrangles were further fanned by the decision by the Murang’a Municipal Board to appoint Muwasco as its water provider for the Maragua area saying it could provide the required volumes of water.

But Muswasco protested the decision claiming that it lobbied for the dam to help boost its coverage.

On January 15 this year, Wasreb’s acting CEO Julius Itunga wrote to the county government saying both companies should continue offering services in their respective license areas.

“Any expansion into an area of service without prior approval of Wasreb is a violation of the law and the responsible water service providers shall be liable for the resultant non-compliance,” the letter said.

The board however invited managing directors of the two water firms to a consultation meeting on January 30 in its offices in Nairobi to agree on the due process for review of areas of service for their companies and discuss their regulatory compliance status.

But the residents wondered why Wasreb was quiet when they were suffering from water scarcity that forced them to trek for many kilometres to fetch the commodity from rivers.

Since the entry of Muwasco into their area, the residents claimed the majority of homes have been connected to water.

Richard Gakuru, a resident, said the community started the Maragua Ridge-Kambiti community water project in 2003 when the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded a communal project.

“IFAD supported us with funds to develop an intake and connect the water to our homes but the water was not sufficient to cover all homes. We contributed about 30 per cent of the project”.

The community, he said, then started the second phase of the project and invited Muswasco for support.

However, the firm charged for the water that was previously free and has since accrued debts amounting to over Sh5 million with the Water Resources Authority (WRA), the body that regulates the management and development of water resources in the country.

Despite this, Gakuru said Muswasco was unable to expand water connections in the area and depended on the infrastructure laid by the project.

Jane Wairimu, another resident, said for the first time, she has been able to install a shower in her home, something that was unimaginable before.

“I want Muwasco to continue operating here because it has made life easier. Fetching water has consumed all our energy for years and now our backs hurt."

MP Mary Waithera said new connections implemented by Muwasco have raised water coverage in the constituency to 35 per cent.

Muswasco, she said, has failed its customers for decades and wondered why Wasreb took no action against it despite the breach of its directives.

While questioning the board’s interests, the MP vowed to fight for Muwasco to be retained and urged governor Irungu Kang’ata not to attend the consultation meeting.

“You will be a coward if you attend a meeting involving a company that defied you and failed to cede its ownership to your administration."

The MP further asked Wasreb to stop interfering with the operations of the county government in regard to water services which are devolved.

“Instead of calling for meetings, Wasreb should be reviewing the boundaries now so the water firms can operate according to their capacity. We want Muwasco to cover to Sabasaba”.

She further cautioned the board against imposing a fine on Muwasco for extending its services into Maragua saying residents will protest against it.

In December last year, Muwasco in partnership with the county commissioned Sh35 million that channels over 1,000 cubic metres of water from Kayahwe River in Kiharu constituency to over 20,000 residents of Kambiti and Maragua Ridge in the Maragua constituency.