Water CS urges KPC to put up health centre in Kiboko

Water CS Simon Chelugui has asked the Kenya Pipeline Company to restore confidence in the Kiboko community.

He asked the company to set up a health facility in the area as part of its CSR programme.

"KPC should work with the county government and adapt a health facility in the area to support those affected or are likely to be affected by the oil spill. This will establish a good relationship between the company and the community," Chelugui said when he toured the Kiboko spillage site on Friday.

The company, he said, should also supply residents with clean water.

The CS said the county government should make a request to identify potential areas to drill boreholes.

He said the oil leak should be controlled from spreading further and causing more harm. "Kenya Pipeline should ensure the spilled oil is cleaned before it spreads towards the spring. We know they have already dug trenches to tap the oil, but we ask them to add their machinery from two to three so the oil tracking is faster," Chelugui said.

But speaking at the same function, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana took issue with alleged CID harassment of the Water Resources Authority officers who issued a precautionary notice on the use of the Kiboko water.

"When WRA officers issued a precautionary notice on the use of Kiboko river Water, CID officers started questioning them. This is a show that CID officers do not care about the plight of those affected and so this is a matter we will raise with the Inspector General of Police and IPOA," he said.

The governor said the spill was of such a big magnitude that it needed the intervention of the presidency.

"We are calling for the intervention of the presidency on this matter because KPC must be allocated enough resources to ensure it deals with this matter conclusively. We do not want to see a repeat of what happened in Thange. The Thange spill remains unresolved," Kibwana said.

WRA board chair Joe Mutambu was present during the meeting.