Over 20,000 Nyalenda residents to get clean water in Last Mile Connection

Over 20,000 residents of Nyalenda in Kisumu county will have access to clean water and sanitation once the Last Mile Connection project is completed.

The project is a partnership between the county government of Kisumu, Practical Action and M-PESA Foundation.

M-PESA Foundation Trustee John Ohaga said they're looking to provide access to clean water to residents of Nyalenda at an affordable cost.

He said they want to improve sanitation in the community to prevent waterborne diseases and promote hygiene.

“We believe these residents have a right to a decent and reliable water supply,” Ohaga said

As part of the Sh8.8 million project, a community-based modern ablution block will be constructed to improve sanitation and 15 Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) supported to locally produce hygiene products such as soap and sanitary towels.

Kisumu is the third largest and the fastest-growing city in Kenya with an estimated population of 600,000 people.

Over 60 per cent of the city’s residents are low-income tenants in the expanding informal settlements and over half of them lack access to toilets and another 83per cent lacking access to clean water.

Mathew Okello, Lake Basin Programme Lead Practical Action said they welcome the partnership as a model for accountable and sustainable water sanitation and hygiene service delivery for emulation by the county government and other public benefit organisations working to improve sanitation in the city

Over the last three years, Practical Action has been working in partnership with Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company (KIWASCO) on improving access to safe and affordable water in informal settlements and increase accountability in the water sector.

Over 10km of dilapidated water networks have been overhauled with new pipelines, increasing water volumes and reliability to almost 50,000 people in Nyalenda and Obunga informal settlements.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris