New water project ends rationing in tourist town of Malindi

Emmanuel Masha and Kellian Mtawali- KNA

It is an end to water rationing in Malindi and Watamu municipalities of Kilifi County following the completion of the Sh4 billion Baricho-Kakuyuni Water Supply Project.

Malindi Water and Sewerage Company (MAWASCO) Managing Director Felix Wanje said the project, which was recently commissioned by President William Ruto, had increased water supply to the two municipalities by about 5.7 million litres per day, effectively ending the need for rationing water in the tourist resort towns and their environs.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the customer service week, Wanje said the two municipalities and their environs currently receive about 700 million litres per month, an increase of about 30 percent from the about 538 million litres per month before the completion of the project.

Wanje said the company is in the process of increasing its customer base from the current 28,000 water connections to serve the more than 400,000 people under its jurisdiction, noting that in the past one year alone, it had procured and installed about 3,000 new water meters.

The project, which sought to address perennial water shortages in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties, was implemented by the Coast Water Works Development Agency through funding from the World Bank. 

It included the rehabilitation of three boreholes destroyed by floods in 2018 when River Sabaki burst its banks, a project that cost the government Sh1.4 billion, and the Baricho Kakuyuni High Volume Water Pipeline and Reservoir that cost about Sh2.6 billion.

Wanje said the company is collaborating with customers and security agents to stop rampant theft of meters, noting that the efforts had started bearing fruit since the vice has drastically reduced in the recent past.

To address frequent power cuts at the main water works in Baricho, the company and the Coast Water Works Development Agency entered into an agreement with the Kenya Power Company on how to settle power bills to avoid power disconnection that had in the past led to frequent power shortages.

During the customer service week, the company waived reconnection fees for indebted customers, and those with huge debts were allowed to sign a memorandum to pay in instalments.