The county government of Kakamega has initiated Sh365 million water projects to expand access by residents.
Musembe and Lwakhupa water projects in Lugari and Navakholo sub-counties are already complete awaiting commissioning.
Others are Kuvasali water project in Malava, Nandamanywa in Shinyalu and Butwehe in Ikolomani, Lumino containerised water project and Matunda water project in Likuyani sub-county and Misango project in Khwisero which are nearing completion.
The projects are supported by grants by the Kenya Devolution Support Programme and the Water Sector Trust Fund.
The county has also sunk 400 boreholes in collaboration with partners and individual efforts.
“These efforts are bearing fruits, as we aim to achieve 100 percent access to water services in Kakamega county,” Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said on Friday.
He spoke when he commissioned the Sh 17.2m Mumias decentralised wastewater treatment plant in Mumias town.
The project, to serve 2, 300 households in Mumias town and its environs, is supported by the WSTF. The project will recycle wastewater back to use. The package also included the construction of the 200 up-scaled Safi-san toilets.
“This project we are commissioning today is an important pointer to the fact that good sanitation offers human dignity and ensures that the society remains healthy,” he said.
Oparanya said that WSTF has given the county a Sh19.8m grant through the Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (Kacwasco) for implementation of the Malava water project.
He said the county is constructing a 5000 cubic meter capacity storage at Lirhanda in Shinyalu sub-county and a containerised water treatment plant at Chekalini in Lugari sub-county, which is set to serve more than 22,000 people.
“These investments will go a long way to benefit Kakamega county citizenry through increased access to water,” he said.
Oparanya promised residents during his 2017 campaigns that he would deliver piped water to every household if reelected.
This is yet to be achieved three months to end of his term of office.
He said that the WSTF has also supported establishment of water kiosks in low-income areas and the extension of the water pipelines in the same areas and sanitation by constricting two public ablution blocks in Kakamega town, besides helping the county expand water infrastructure.
WSTF was established under the Water Act, 2016, as a water sector financing institution with the mandate to provide conditional and unconditional grants to counties, and assist in financing the development and management of water services in marginalizsed or underserved areas.
Edited by Henry Makori
