Locals upbeat as water project nears completion

It is an arduous task climbing up the steep Kambiri hills in Kakamega North.

Through thick, thorny bushes and on slippery rocks, we slowly and carefully make our way to the top. 

From the foot of the hills to the top, it takes us an hour. Tucked away at the hill's peak, out of sight, is an ambitious water project dubbed amatsi khumuguru (water at your doorstep).

Kambiri residents now have every reason to smile after an earlier survey failed to deliver its promise.

Joshua Ligavo, assistant chief of Ivakale sub-location, says in 1992, some foreigners conducted a survey around this hill and made residents believe there were vital minerals under the hill.

“To date, nothing has been done and that is why this water project holds a better promise. Our people will soon have access to clean drinking water courtesy of Kakamega County government initiative,” he says. 

“The Amatsi khumuguru initiative was commissioned by the County government last year shortly before coronavirus pandemic. The project would have been completed by October 2020 but Covid-19 happened and caused a lot of disruptions,” Ligavo says.

The Kakamega County had planned to have two million people in the county connected to piped water by this year in a project that would have cost Sh1 billion.

A few days ago, while assenting to the Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Services Bill, 2021, Governor Wycliffe Oparanya lamented: “I had intended to ensure Kakamega people get clean piped water by 2022 as per my manifesto but due to cash flow challenges, that dream may not come to fruition since the water company is owed over Sh167 million by defaulters.”

This has not dampened the expectations of the people of Kambiri who look forward to getting piped water this year as promised.

“The main pipes have already been laid and have reached Ivakale, Shanderema and Bulobi and other areas near Kambiri,” Ligavo said.

While pointing out the highlights of the water project, the local administrator believes very little is left of the works, and locals will soon be getting water.

“The main tank, as you can see, is now complete. We expect the government to start pumping water from Nandamanywa River. Installation of electricity that will be used to pump water to the collection point at top of the hill is ongoing. From there, gravity will take over and it will be easy to supply the water to homes below,” Ligavo says.

Catherine Lihavi, a resident, is excited that the difficult task of fetching water from rivers and streams far away will soon become a thing of the past.

However, at the outset, it was not easy to get locals to agree to the project. That was because the project was going to intrude on private land.

“There was initial resistance because the pipes had to go through people’s farms and it was not easy convincing them to uproot some of their crops,” Ligavo says.

“The project is good because it will boost business around here and create employment opportunities. Already, local youth have benefitted by being involved in the laying out of the pipes,” Bonface Muhanda notes.