Budget: MPs pitch for Koru/Soin dam to check flooding

MPs now want the government to allocate money for compensation in the Koru/Soin dam to pave way for the construction of the water reservoir.

Members of the National Assembly’s Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation wondered why the dam project billed as the permanent solution to the perennial floods in Nyando basin did not get any allocation.

The committee is chaired by Markwet East MP Kangogo Bowen.

The multi-billion shilling project initiated during retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration has not made much progress due to compensation issues.

There have also been tender wars that have seen the project failing to take off.

Yesterday, Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were and his Kisumu West counterpart Rosa Buyu urged the Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho to consider prioritising compensation in the 2024/25 budget to set stage for the project’s takeoff.

“To show good will, it will be a good start even as you look for donors to allocate even Sh300 million towards the compensation of the residents,” Ong’ondo said.

“When we talk about Koru/Soin, that area affects more than 16 constituencies.”

The Kasipul MP warned that the project if not fast tracked only translates to more deaths and loss of life by the residents from the three counties affected by the flooding.

The counties are Nandi, Kericho and Kisumu.

Buyu while also putting a case for allocation to complete the dam said the the region has for years lost a lot because of the floods.

“It is very unfair that no money has been set aside for the compensation of the dam when we are talking about completing the project within four years,” she said.

Koru-Soin dam which was designed to contain water from upstream River Nyando, was critical in addressing persistent flooding in Nyando plains.

The PS explained that the government is in the process of seeking a donor through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to implement the project.

“The new policy is that we must deal with compensation before works begin, we are seeking for a donor for this project and many others across the country,” Kimotho said.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to complete the project which has stalled for years.

With a storage of 93.7 million cubic metres, the dam once completed will supply 72,000m3 per day of water for domestic use, irrigation of 2,570 hectares of land and generation of 2.5 megawatts of hydropower.

Flow of water in River Nyando, which is behind the perennial flooding in Kano plains will be regulated throughout the year.

Other benefits include the supply of potable water, to meet the deficit in parts of Kisumu and Kericho counties.

On  May 11, 2022, the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority awarded the tender for the construction of the dam to China Jiangxi International Limited and China Jianxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Company Limited.

Through the arrangement, the project was supposed to be fully funded by the government at a cost of Sh19.9 billion, with the contractors given 60 months to complete and hand over the facility.

Works done so far include a campsite being constructed and confirmatory geotechnical investigation carried out.

However, the contractor who had been paid Sh499.6 million suspended operations at the site in September last year, citing lack of payment.

The contractor was demanding Sh846.5 million from the government, before resuming works.

The MPs also questioned Sh1.5 billion projects in the ministry's 2024/25 budget demanding that the state department gives breakdown on the locations.

The projects are mainly community irrigation projects domiciled at the headquarters.