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Kakuli Earth Dam Complete, Set to Boost Water Access for 500 Households

Kalawa | 26th October 2026

The KSh6.7 million Kakuli Earth Dam in Kalawa is 100% complete, marking a major milestone in efforts to improve water access for more than 500 households in Kakuli, Engaa, Kyengungu and Ndauni villages in Kathulumbi location.

Chief Officer for Water and Sanitation, Eng. David Makau, inspected the project to assess its readiness, confirming that earthworks are fully complete, with auxiliary works at 95%. The dam has a storage capacity of 28,000 cubic metres and is expected to ease the burden of residents travelling long distances in search of water.

Site clearance is expected by the end of this week as the project moves towards operational readiness.

Eng. Makau commended the progress made, urging residents to prioritise additional funding during public participation forums to facilitate the damโ€™s expansion and distribution of water to households.

The project reflects Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.โ€™s commitment to bringing water closer to communities and ensuring residents no longer endure long distances in search of this essential resource.

๐—ž๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜‡๐—ฒ ๐——๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—น๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€

๐—ž๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ง๐—”/๐—ž๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—จ; ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ๐˜๐—ต, ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ~ Access to clean water for domestic use and agriculture is transforming livelihoods in Kiteta/Kisau ward , where the County Government has expanded water distribution infrastructure to serve approximately 500 households.

The colonial-era dam sitting in approximately 16 acres of land and currently holding about 112,000 cubic metres of water, has undergone improvements to enhance water access, support livestock farming and promote small-scale irrigation.

Through the FLLoCA programme and subsequent County Government interventions, Kinze Dam has been enhanced with approximately 20 kilometres of water pipelines, nine new 10,000-litre storage tanks and the rehabilitation of an existing 50,000-litre tank.

During a routine field visit, the County Executive Committee Member for Finance, Planning, Budget & Revenue Damaris Kavoi assessed the project’s implementation and explored opportunities for further expansion to reach more households and institutions.

The project also features seven water kiosks, solar-powered pumping infrastructure and a demonstration farm, strengthening access to water for domestic use, livestock and agricultural production.

With potential additional distribution networks and storage facilities, the dam holds significant potential to strengthen water security, boost agricultural productivity and improve livelihoods across surrounding communities.

Ongoing construction of the Muuoniโ€“Mbitini Water Distribution

Ongoing construction of the Muuoniโ€“Mbitini Water Distribution for Agriculture and Livelihood Restoration Project under the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme, now at 70 per cent completion.

The KSh 13 million project aims to improve access to water for irrigation and strengthen community livelihoods. It features construction of a 100-cubic-metre sump, tapping water from a pre-existing sand dam at Kavuthu, rising mains to Kavuthu and ACK Church, elevated steel towers fitted with water storage tanks, and irrigation distribution lines.

Upon completion, the project is expected to benefit 500 households by supporting agricultural production, enhancing food security and strengthening resilience to climate change in Mbitini Ward.

๐— ๐˜‚๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฌ ๐— ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ผ ๐—ฃ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐——๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ต๐˜‚๐—ท๐—ฎ๐—ฎ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ก๐˜‡๐—ถ๐˜‚

๐—ก๐—ญ๐—œ๐—จ,๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ, ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒโ€”Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has announced a Sh50 million allocation for mango purchases during the current season, while outlining key county government initiatives in agriculture, water, healthcare, infrastructure and employment during this yearโ€™s Mashujaa Day celebrations in Nziu, Makueni Sub- County.

Addressing residents, the governor highlighted measures to strengthen agricultural markets, expand access to water, improve public services and create employment opportunities across the county.

In agriculture, Governor Mutula said the county was pursuing international markets for Makueni mangoes. He announced a scheduled engagement with representatives of the Oman government to explore export opportunities.

He also outlined plans to establish a mango aggregation centre in Nziu and strengthen cold storage, digital market information and value addition to improve produce handling and reduce post-harvest losses.

On employment and investment, the governor highlighted a Sh2.5 billion initiative involving the county government, Agrione Fresh Produce and the Anglican Church of Kenya, which is projected to create approximately 12,000 jobs and expand market opportunities for local produce.

Water infrastructure featured prominently in his address. The governor cited the Sh450 million Athi-Kalawa project, the ongoing Kaiti IV project supported by the Tanathi Water Works Development Agency, and the 42-acre Londokwe Dam project in Kitise as part of efforts to improve water availability for households and agricultural activities.

The governor also reported that 258 promotions had been undertaken and 279 county employees converted to permanent and pensionable terms.

On infrastructure, he called for closer cooperation between the national and county governments to facilitate the implementation of shared projects, citing the proposed Makueni professional stadium as one initiative awaiting implementation.

The Mashujaa Day celebrations provided a platform to recognise the contribution of local communities and highlight county priorities, including support for mango farmers, water access, healthcare services, job creation and infrastructure investment.

๐‘ด๐’‚๐’Œ๐’–๐’†๐’๐’Š ๐‘ผ๐’๐’—๐’†๐’Š๐’๐’” ๐‘ญ๐’Š๐’—๐’†-๐’€๐’†๐’‚๐’“ ๐‘บ๐’•๐’“๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’ˆ๐’š ๐‘ป๐’ ๐‘ฐ๐’Ž๐’‘๐’“๐’๐’—๐’† ๐‘พ๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’“ ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐‘บ๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’•๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐‘จ๐’„๐’„๐’†๐’”๐’”

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr on Thursday launched the Makueni County Water and Sanitation Strategy and Investment Plan 2025โ€“2030, a five-year roadmap to guide investments in water infrastructure, sanitation services and climate resilience across the county

The strategy seeks to address persistent challenges, including inadequate funding, climate change and water governance gaps, while strengthening coordination among the county government, national government, development partners and communities.

It prioritizes expanding access to clean and reliable water, improving sanitation and hygiene in schools and health facilities, strengthening water institutions, and promoting sustainable water resource management.

The plan also emphasizes gender equality, recognizing the disproportionate burden of water insecurity on women and girls, while highlighting the importance of irrigation in enhancing food security and livelihoods in the largely arid and semi-arid county.

Developed collaboratively by national and county government technical teams, with support from the World Bank and stakeholder input, the strategy provides a roadmap for targeted investments towards equitable, inclusive and sustainable water and sanitation services across Makueni County.

๐— ๐˜‚๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—”๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ-๐—ž๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜„๐—ฎ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ท๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr has commissioned the Athi-Kalawa Universal Water Project treatment station in Kwakiliu, Kalawa Ward, Completing the projects components after earlier commissioning the intake and power boost water station. The project targets 22,000 residents with access to clean and safe water.

Started in 2019, the project draws raw water from River Athi for treatment and distribution to households, schools, health facilities and trading centres in Mbooni East Sub-County.

The project has received Sh360 million from World Vision and Sh90 million from the County Government of Makueni.

It currently serves 35 water kiosks, six health facilities, 12 shopping centres and 12 schools, with six additional schools at various stages of connection.

Speaking during the commissioning, Governor Mutula thanked World Vision and the Coca-Cola Foundation for their support, noting that the project would help protect residents from diseases associated with consuming unsafe water.

He directed the county’s energy directorate to budget for solarisation of the facility and installation of CCTV cameras to enhance security.

World Vision East Africa Regional Director Lilian Dodzo said the organisation was pleased to improve the lives of children and families through the project. She urged the county government to ensure proper maintenance and protection of the infrastructure.

World Vision also donated 10 tonnes of water-treatment chemicals and two motorbikes to support water services management.

The project is expected to improve access to safe water while strengthening hygiene, sanitation and public health across Kalawa Ward.

๐—ž๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜„๐—ฎ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜€

๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ, ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ๐˜๐—ต, ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ~ About 4,000 residents of Ndauni and Kimeeni sub-locations in Mbooni Sub-County are set to benefit from improved water access and livelihood opportunities through the AK-WASH Water Distribution and Livelihood Restoration Project under FLLoCA.

The 98%complete project features the construction of a 9.81-kilometre pipeline from Kwa Ngovi masonry tank to Syokilati Market, rehabilitation of four water kiosks and interconnection of seven institutions.

The initiative is expected to ease water shortages, reduce the burden of fetching water and improve access to essential services in schools, health facilities and markets, while supporting livelihoods and community resilience.

Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism CECM Irene Makau Mwilu led an inspection of the project, which also included a Juncao farm equipped with drip irrigation to promote sustainable agriculture.

Once fully implemented, the project is expected to transform daily life for thousands of residents by bringing water closer to homes and essential institutions, strengthening food security, supporting local economic activities and laying the foundation for a healthier, more productive and resilient community.

Accompanied by Infrastructure, Transport and Public Works Chief Officer Eng. David Ndolo, the inspection assessed progress on a project set to extend water connectivity to seven institutions: Itumbule, Syokilati and Ndauni comprehensive schools, Ndauni Secondary School, Syokilati VTC, Ndauni Dispensary and Kimeeni Dispensary.

๐— ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ท๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—•๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—น๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐Ÿฎ,๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ž๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜„๐—ฎ

๐—ž๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜„๐—ฎ, ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ -Approximately 2,500 residents in Kasooni and Malunda areas of Kalawa Ward are set to benefit from improved water access following the commissioning of the Maluini Borehole Water Supply Project by the County Government of Makueni.

The KSh 23.6 million project features a solar-powered pumping system, a 50mยณ storage tank, a water kiosk at Kasooni Market and four water points at Ngunini Market, Kwa Kisau, Kiveveloni and Kiukuni. It also includes 5.6 kilometres of distribution lines serving Kasooni, Ngunini and Kiukuni markets, with Kasooni Comprehensive School connected to the supply.

The solar system uses 48 panels that harness sunlight from both sides and includes a dust-cleaning mechanism that uses water to wash the panels, helping maintain their performance. The borehole is among five boreholes the County drilled while World Vision supported the equipping and water distribution works. Maluini borehole recorded high water yields of 12.4mยณ/hr.

The commissioning was led by the CECM for Finance, Planning, Budget and Revenue Damaris Kavoi, as the County advances Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.โ€™s last-mile water connectivity agenda to bring water closer to households, schools and local markets.

๐— ๐ฎ๐ค๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ณ๐ฎ ๐—•๐จ๐ซ๐ž๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ž ๐—ฃ๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐—ง๐จ ๐—•๐ž๐ง๐ž๐Ÿ๐ข๐ญ ๐Ÿฏ,๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐—ž๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ฐ๐š ๐—ช๐š๐ซ๐

KALAWA: 13th October 2026

Residents of Mukelenzu and surrounding areas in Kalawa Ward, Mbooni, will now enjoy improved access to reliable, clean water following the commissioning of the KSh 52.3 million Mukelenzu Borehole Water Supply Project by Lands Executive CECM Paul Musila, flanked by Gender Chief Officer Catherine Katuti on Tuesday.

The project features a solar-powered borehole with a tested yield of 12,600 litres per hour, 19.4 kilometres of pipeline network, four water kiosks and nine water points to improve water distribution across Kathulumbi Location.

Approximately 3,500 residents are expected to benefit from the project, alongside nine educational institutions, two health facilities and five markets.

The two county executives, representing Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr, also joined residents of Syotuvali in commissioning the Syotuvali Water Project, an extension of the Athiโ€“Kalawa Mega Water Project, in a continued effort to expand water access in the Ward.

๐—š๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐— ๐˜‚๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—ž๐—ถ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜‡๐—ผ ๐—๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—”๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ ๐—ž๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜„๐—ฎ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ท๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr has commissioned the Athi Kalawa Universal Water Project booster station in Muusini, marking a key milestone in efforts to improve access to clean water in the county.

The facility features two booster pumps, a pre-sedimentation tank and a 2.5-kilometre rising main pipeline supplying water to the treatment unit.

Constructed with support from World Vision, the treatment plant includes a composite filtration unit, chemical dosing systems, a chlorine dosing unit, an elevated steel water tank and a solar-powered backwashing pump.

The County Government of Makueni also constructed a clear-water reservoir to supply treated water to the distribution network serving Kalawa, Syotuvali, Miangeni and Intake, and Kaketi.

Additionally, the county installed a 315 kVA transformer to power the booster station and supply electricity to 60 households in the neighbouring community.