- But the biggest benefit from the project is quenching the thirst of the thousands of residents in and outside Makueni county.
- Upon completion, the dam will reduce the long distances travelled and time spent by women and children in search of water.
Image: CURTESY
The Sh82 billion Thwake Multipurpose Dam in the Lower Eastern region is yet to be completed but it has given thousands of residents hope for a better future.
Ongoing civil works and related activities have created jobs for more than 1,200 locals-both men and women-who are mainly the breadwinners for their families.
But the biggest benefit from the project is quenching the thirst of the thousands of residents in and outside Makueni county.
Upon completion, the dam will reduce the long distances travelled and time spent by women and children in search of water.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr said his county is lucky to have a project of such magnitude.
“You can’t create a city without sustainable water. Major cities in the world that are doing well in terms of tourism and other infrastructure developments have sustainable water systems,” Mutula said. The dam will also supply water to Konza Techno City in Machakos.
It is also expected to reduce rural-urban migration as people will get employed in the upcoming opportunities in the area.
Upgrading of certain roads, necessary for the construction and maintenance of the dam, is already contributing to a better transport and travel networks for residents.
The county government also estimates that the prices of land around the project area has significantly increased and gained value following the planned phases which will open up socioeconomic initiatives.
Thwake Multipurpose Water Development Programme – an initiative being rolled out in four phases through the Ministry of Water - is a mega project being implemented by the government and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
“The progress is impressive and encouraging. The government will be supportive and act as a facilitator to safeguard billions of taxpayers’ money which is being pumped into this mega project,” Water CS Alice Wahome said during her recent tour of the project.
“The downstream components will have a big impact on food security because the three counties have fertile soils suitable for farming activities. We must fast-track the other phases of the dam,” she said.
The programme, through CSR initiative and partnership, has allowed stakeholders to benefit through rehabilitation of schools and construction of new classrooms, renovation and construction of health centres and construction of maternity wing and drilling of boreholes.
The dam whose physical progress now stands at 86.35 per cent, is meant to fulfil the country’s long-term development ambition in the areas of water, energy and agriculture.
The first phase involves construction of an 80.5m high multipurpose dam with a storage capacity of 688 million cubic metres and associated auxiliary works.
It is located one kilometre downstream of the confluence of Thwake and Athi Rivers.
Thwake Dam is a concrete faced rock filled embankment dam covering an area of around 9,217 acres with a catchment spanning about 10,276 km2.
The second phase will involve development of water supply, sanitation and wastewater infrastructure to supply estimated 150,000 m3/day of treated water to approximately 1.3 million people from the rural and urban areas of Kitui and Makueni counties and Konza Techno City in Machakos county.
The third and the fourth phases will see development of hydropower generating system with an installed capacity of approximately 20 MW and irrigation scheme to irrigate 40,000 hectares (approx 100,000 acres) of land.
“This programme was in the bank’s pipeline for a long time and under discussion with Government of Kenya,” AfDB East Africa Operations director general Nnenna Nwabufo said.
“It was in the wish list for Vision 2030, thereby prompting Kenyan government to approach the bank for construction of an 80.5 metre dam at the confluence of Athi and Thwake rivers in Makueni and Kitui counties.”
He said major world cities like Beijing, London, Stockholm, Washington, Berlin, Geneva and many others are served by rivers that have heavily contributed to their developments.
As a socioeconomic enabler and a contributor to the Vision 2030 blue-print and the United Nations backed - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the programme is already creating impact on many lives.
Since agriculture and livestock trade is the mainstay of the economy in Lower Eastern region of Kenya, having proper road network will successfully contribute to the restoration of the rural livelihoods of these communities.