The water supply to Wote town has been restored courtesy of a partnership between the county government and the Kenya Red Cross Society.

The town was thrown into a crisis after Kaiti sump and Kamunyolo dam, the two major sources of water to the town were swept away and damaged by raging floods.

The county government put up an emergency request to KRCS, which moved with speed and installed water pumping and purification equipment besides the county government’s treatment plant, whose sump was damaged.

According to Water and irrigation Chief Officer Martin Kitavi, the two installations are now able to supply 1,400 cubic meters of water to the distribution system, pumped within 20 hours a day.

Kitavi said Mwaani bore hole, another water source, is able to supply 400 cubic meters, bringing the total output to the town’s water supply system to 1,800 cubic meters daily.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana toured the project on Monday to inspect its progress before its official commissioning by KRCS Secretary General Abbas Gullet on Wednesday.

Water Committees to be Dissolved

Water committees in Makueni County will be dissolved and new ones reconstituted to ensure efficiency in the management of the critical water sector in the county Water Executive Committee Member Robert Kisyula has said.

Mr Kisyula said that his department was keen to oversee an efficient water sector adding that supply of water to Makueni County residents is top priority issue in the county government.

“We are going to dissolve all the water committees in Makueni and reconstitute new ones. We have a very high target set in the water sector which we must meet,” the ECM said.

He was speaking in Mombasa where county officials met Secondary school head teachers during this year’s Kessha Conference for Makueni Chapter held at the Travellers Beach Resort.

Mr Kisyula urged secondary schools heads to partner with the county government to achieve the water agenda.

The ECM said that institutions should harvest rain water from roofs to make sure that all public and private institutions have sufficient potable water.

“If every school in Makueni had tanks to harvest the water that runs during rainy seasons, the shortage of water in schools and nearby communities would be a thing of the past,” the ECM said.

Rain water harvesting according to Mr Kisyula is one of the game changers in making another Makueni possible where every household has sufficient potable water for domestic use in order to stop the “ fetching water ideology” in the county.

“Since we were kids, we were taught that water is fetched. We wait for the rain to pour down for a whole night then the following morning we follow it to the rivers when it is already contaminated,” he explained.

He further added that every household in the county is capable of becoming food secure and economically empowered by adopting the “1 acre rule” initiative.

Makueni County has since the wake of devolution done several dams and sand dams as well as drilled boreholes and collaborated with various development partners through the Billion Dollar Business Alliance to ensure that all households have access to clean water.

He further challenged the heads to set good examples in the villages by installing at least two 100M3 water tanks in their homesteads, adding that it will ensure availability of potable water supply for domestic use for a whole year.

Kessha Makueni Chapter chairman Julius Mutwii who was the host said teachers are appreciating the support given by the county government including sponsorship of various teachers projects including scholarships to students.

“We are very happy with progress being made by our county. Infact the whole country is talking about Makueni.And they are doing so positively, ” said Mr Mutwii.

Other top government officials who graced the KESSHA conference included the deputy governor Adelina Mwau, county secretary Paul Wasanga, CEC, Roads, transport and energy, Engineer Sebastian Kyoni and CEC for Education and ICT, Dr. Naomi Makau.