Water shortage has hit parts of Voi in Taita Taveta county after Coast Water Works Development Agency disconnected supply over a Sh688 million debt.
Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo on Saturday said negotiations between the county's water company, Tavevo and the regional water body to restore supply are ongoing.
Kilalo said the devolved unit is also discussing a formula to pay the Sh688 million pending bill.
She said some of the areas affected by the disconnection are Voi Town, Mbololo, Maungu and Sagala.
Kilalo said the water shortage has also affected service delivery in key health facilities including, Moi County Referral Hospital.
“We want to apologise to the people of Voi subcounty for the water shortage that has hit the region in the past four days. We are negotiating with the water agency to restore supply,” she said.
Kilalo said two weeks ago, the county tried to negotiate with the agency but was unsuccessful.
“It is sad that despite having a meeting with the agency two weeks ago, they have proceeded to disconnect water. This means we must go back to the negotiating table before the water crisis escalates,” she said.
The deputy governor said Tavevo has struggled to pay the huge water bill due to low revenue collection and financial strains.
Kilalo said they had a prior agreement with coast water agency to pay Sh4.2 million every month as part of the plan to clear the bill.
“We have been paying the agreed amount every month without fail. The company has not defaulted, therefore it is unfair to subject our people to such crisis,”she said.
Kilalo said Tavevo has Sh300 million unpaid bills from water consumers.
She urged residents to pay water bills on time to clear the debt and avoid further disruption.
