•He said the project will supplement the county’s efforts to provide adequate clean and safe water to residents as well as irrigation farming.
•WeTu director Tilman Straub said the project focuses on the sustainable use of green energy.
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Residents of Nyakach, Kisumu county are all smiles following the launch of the Sh15 million water project.
The 36-kilowatt solar-powered project has a capacity to supply 20,000 litres of clean and safe drinking water daily to benefit thousands of residents in the North Nyakach ward.
The project in Katito has been funded by European Union under Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (Sesa) and implemented by WeTu social enterprise. Sesa has more than 30 partners across Africa and Europe.
County chief of staff Abdala Kassim who presided over the launch on behalf of Governor Anyang Nyong’o on Thursday said the project is a relief to residents.
He said the project will supplement the county’s efforts to provide adequate clean and safe water to residents as well as irrigation farming.
WeTu director Tilmann Straub said the project focuses on the sustainable use of green energy.
Apart from water supply, the project will also provide residents with electric motorcycles at a subsidised fee.
He said they are working along Lake Victoria with a mission to deliver sustainable and innovative solutions with a key focus on providing rural populations with clean energy and safe water.
Currently, WeTU operates in Migori, Siaya, Homa Bay and Kisumu counties.
Tilmann said the first water project in Katito town was the 14 projects in the region since Wetu was founded in 2019.
The solar-powered water projects have also been implemented in Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay respectively. The Kisegi project in Homa Bay county is awaiting launch.
“Our activities and intervention are to provide clean and safe water through sustainable use of green energy,” Tilmann said.
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The director disclosed that plans are underway to extend the water supply to community markets in Katito by establishing at least three water ATM points.
“We are working on modalities to roll out cold room projects in Katito town for traders to store their perishable products,” Tilman said.
Nyakach subcounty water officer Patrick Ngetich lauded the project and also termed it a relief to residents who have been faced with inadequate water supply.
He said Nyakach is water scarce and called for more projects towards the realisation of adequate supply of affordable and accessible water in the area.
“We are appealing to residents to safeguard the project from vandalism for their own benefit. It is upon you to ensure the sustainability of this noble project,” Ngetich said.
Sesa project coordinator Magdalena Sikorowska said the energy sector is one of the key drivers of economic development and has been the anchor to industrial growth over the last centuries.
She said having access to reliable energy and clean water can help to develop local economic activities thereby creating jobs, improving incomes and supporting the delivery of vital social services.
“Whilst the energy sector remains important to economic growth, it is also the largest contributor to global warming or climate change. The call to shift to renewable clean energy sources is essential to make it happen,” Sikorowska said.
Sikorowska said they are committed to mitigating climate change and avoiding lock-in situations while improving access to sustainable energy under affordable and reliable conditions.
She said in Katito they are implementing the project with social entrepreneurs such as WeTu.
The EU-funded project aimed at providing access to energy technologies, solutions and business models that are easily replicable and generate local opportunities to boost socio-economic development in Africa.
Sikorowska said the solutions include decentralised renewable (solar photovoltaics), innovative energy storage systems, smart microgrids, and waste-to-energy systems complemented by rural internet access.
“We are working in several African countries including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Nigeria,” she said.
The project coordinator noted that the Katito project will set an example for other validation and replication sites within Africa.
“We hope that these solutions implemented in Katito will go a long way to addressing energy access and clean drinking water,” Sikorowska said.
The project will support the productive use of the energy provided, improve the local economy and serve the well-being of the people in Katito and surrounding communities.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
Image: MAURICE ALAL