• Their homes and Ngangari Primary School have had no water for two months
• Head of finance Dickson Njiru apologises and deploys officers to fix the problem as they pursue a lasting solution
Residents from a Mbeere South village on Tuesday stormed a water station for allegedly cutting supply to their area.
Their homes and Ngangari Primary School have had no water for two months. Twenty parents, with children in tow, demanded answers from Embu Water and Sanitation Company.
They said the neighbouring areas have water in plenty. Led by Justus Nyagah and Fredrick Ndwiga, they said they have been religiously paying their Sh260 monthly charges but end up buying water from traders. They have to use it sparingly for laundry, bathing, drinking and cooking and watering livestock.
“We are disappointed because we know there is no water rationing in any part of the county ...," Nyagah said.
They accused the firm's officials of colluding with their neighbours to deny them water. After numerous complaints, senior company officers have been making empty promises, they said.
The residents threatened to uproot pipes if the company will not restore supply in two days. They said enough is enough.
“Today, we've decided to come here physically because we have a right to be supplied with water. We can’t close the school over shortage of water while we know it’s available. These children have been carrying water for drinking from home and we are also prompted to contribute money to buy water for them,” Nyagah said.
The parents demanded to have an audience with company CEO Hamilton Karugendo but he was not in. They talked to head of finance Dickson Njiru.
Njiru apologised and deployed technical officers to fix the problem immediately as they pursue a lasting solution. He said they will allocate money for a storage tank and maintain pipe top prevent blockages.
The money will be released from next week so the works start. Njiru warned Muguka farmers against using the water for irrigation.
(Edited by F'Orieny)