Residents unhappy with use of Sh800m Maragua dam water

Water has continued to be inaccessible to majority of them two years later, subjecting them to suffering.

by ALICE WAITHERA

Central30 July 2025 - 07:02

In Summary

The residents, who met in Maragua town, said they had high expectations that the dam would end their water woes when it was commissioned in 2023.
But they noted that the commodity has continued to be inaccessible to the majority of them two years later, subjecting them to suffering.

A section of Maragua residents wants the Murang’a government to expedite the connection of water from the Sh800 billion Maragua dam to their homes.

The residents, who met in Maragua town, said they had high expectations that the dam would end their water woes when it was commissioned in 2023.

But they noted that the commodity has continued to be inaccessible to the majority of them two years later, subjecting them to suffering.

David Wamatu, a former mayor of Maragua, wondered why the county government was yet to expand water coverage in the area despite the dam providing 15 million litres daily.

He said being a semi-arid area, Maragua has the lowest water coverage in the county and residents who depend on agriculture for survival are impoverished without access to the commodity.

“After the dam was commissioned, we expected water to be easily accessible to everybody and for it to be cheap but this has not been achieved yet.”

Wamatu lamented that those who have been connected are forced to pay exorbitant charges while many others remain without.

Towns such as Kenol that have a high population depend on boreholes and water vendors.

Last year, Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company announced that it had connected 1,800 homesteads to water from the dam, saving them from years of water rationing.

The company that mainly covers Murang’a town and its environs was put in charge of Maragua by President William Ruto during a visit to the area, ending a longstanding battle with its sister company Murang’a South Water and Sanitation Company that covers Kandara, Kigumo and Maragua subcounties.

The two water firms were feuding over the management of the dam, with Muswasco claiming it lobbied for the construction of the reservoir while Muwasco alleged it could run the dam after covering over 96 per cent of its jurisdiction.

But Wamatu said Maragua residents connected to the water are now being forced to pay more for the commodity against a struggling economy.

Andrew Kamau, a resident of Maragua town, said they are required to pay Sh22,000 for new water connections up from the Sh7,000 they previously paid, locking out many locals.

Reuben Ngunjiri, a pastor in a local church, called on leaders to work together and find a lasting solution to the challenges facing Maragua.

“We just want to access development like other parts of the county,” Ngunjiri said, challenging Governor Irungu Kang’ata to intervene and ensure the water is disbursed to all parts of the sub-county.