The Kakamega county government is in the process of deploying appropriate technology to fill supply gaps and lower the cost of maintaining its water infrastructure.
The county is also solar-powering its water projects to avoid supply disruptions during power outages.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Thursday commissioned the Lumino containerised water project in Likuyani subcounty.
The Sh108 million project has the capacity to produce 1.5 million liters of water per day, way above the current demand of 850, 000 liters daily by the residents of Likuyani.
Oparanya said the project will serve 30,000 persons, translating to 5,000 households, for the next 20 years.
"We have set aside Sh7 million for connection of residents to the piped supply. We have already connected 28 households including 100-year old Mama Elizabeth Mbaisi who will enjoy supply of water from the project free of charge," he added.
Other containerised water projects include Musembe water treatment plant in Lugari, Nandamaywa in Shinyalu, Butwehe in Ikolomani and Firatsi in Butere.
Oparanya said all learning institutions in Likuyani will be connected to the supply.
“Already Ivugwi secondary and primary schools have been connected and Lumino and Lusweti secondary and primary schools and Lumino dispensary will also be connected to water soon,” he said.
Oparanya said he targets to have 11,000 households connected to piped water before he leaves office after the August 9 elections.
Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company CEO Christabel Ashiono said the move to adopt new technology is part of the company’s plans to obtain drinking water from open resources to enhance access to clean drinking water.
Ashiono said automated technology is more reliable compared to use of gravity and will help the company get optimum water from available sources and guarantee adequate supply to over two million residents.
“We have been trying to put in place measures to curb water wastage and illegal water and meter connection so that we can have reliable supply, but that can only be possible if we invest in developing, acquisition and deployment of appropriate modern technologies," she said.
“The technology will ensure 24-hour water supply. As we speak, our main source of water and water line is overwhelmed because our old technology of supplying by pumping has proved unreliable forcing us to ration the commodity,” she added.
Ashiono said the current technology uses a lot of electricity to pump water into tanks and it becomes a challenge to guarantee smooth supply whenever there is power outage.
She said introduction of smart water metres has addressed challenges of meter tampering and illegal connections that saw the company suffer huge losses in the past.
Edited by Henry Makori
