• All water companies pay their bills through the Coast Water Services Board
• Demanding separation of meters so Kilifi companies can pay directly to Kenya Power to avoid disruptions
Kilifi MCAs have threatened to vandalise machines at the main Baricho Water Works for alleged unfair distribution of water.
The legislators say Mombasa gets the lion’s share of the water supplied from Kilifi county. They said residents face constant disconnections over power bills.
MCAs are also demanding separation of meters so companies in Kilifi can pay directly to Kenya Power to avoid disruptions.
Led by Matsangoni MCA Hassan Mohamed, the county legislators said they do not understand why Mombasa gets more water than Kilifi, yet all counties share the bills equally.
All water companies pay their bills through the Coast Water Services Board, which is the agency mandated to oversee supply.
Mohamed, the chairman of the Kilifi county assembly Water committee, said this week that electricity at Baricho could be disconnected, despite Kilifi companies paying promptly. He said residents will suffer.
Speaking at Kizingo in Malindi during celebrations to mark World Water Day, the MCA said the Executive wing of the county has been misleading the people.
He said they will draft a bill to separate meters separated and if that doesn't work, the leaders will mobilise the public to vandalise the machines.
“It’s laxity and fear. One day, as MCAs, we will destroy the big pipeline at Baricho Water Works,” he said.
Kaya Fungo MCA Alphonce Mwayaa recently said they toured Baricho and established the truth of why Kilifi has constant water shortages.
He said each month the electricity bills amount to more than Sh36 million, which is shared equally between Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
Kilifi Water department chief officer Samuel Kombe said more than 50 per cent of water is supplied to Mombasa from Baricho because of the demand.
He said the problem would be soon be solved, however, after completion of the Mwache Dam project.
He said Mzima Springs pipeline and Baricho pipeline are old, which is why there are frequent breaks that lead to water outages.
Kombe said electricity disconnection was beyond the water companies in Kilifi.
He said talks are underway between the county government, the two water companies Mawasco and Kimawasco, and the CWSB on payment of power bills.
“The aim is to enable the companies to pay bills directly to KPLC," he said.
He said World Bank-funded Mwache dam will serve Mombasa and Kwale and leave Mzima springs for Taita Taveta and Kilifi.