Lake Victoria South Water Services Board (LVSWSB) has embarked on implementing the Sh 1.6billion project on the rehabilitation of water supply for Kisii Town.
The project funded by the German Bank for Development (KFW) was launched in last year and construction work is set to commence in March next year.
Speaking during a review meeting at the Governor’s office, LVSWSB Rural Water and Sanitation manager Eng. Daniel Oronje said the project designs were ready and that a consultant had finalized preliminary assessment on infrastructure and performance enhancement equipment needed to kick-start the project.
“This is a very important project for the Kisii region considering the existing water supply and sanitation challenges that exist. The designs are ready and we have finalized an assessment on the technical support systems needed to help the Gusii Water and Sanitation Company (GWASCO) streamline its operations,” said Eng. Oronje.
Andreas Holtkotte, KFW Development Bank’s Water, Irrigation and Transport Head of the Eastern Africa, DR Congo and African Union Division said they had held fruitful discussions with the water management bodies and expressed optimism that the project will be completed in time.
“We are aware that water management boards in Kenya have faced challenges in cash flow management where revenue from water supply was consumed at source. We are glad that under the devolved system of governance, there are reforms in this sector to inculcate a commercial approach in the management of water resources,” he noted.
He said Kenya can learn lessons from Germany which has a decentralized system of governance and called on County Governments to ensure efficient management of water supply for the people.
“We want to see a situation where water supply is managed without political interference. I am glad GWASCO has finalized the process of recruiting management personnel. We shall closely monitor this process to ensure the project succeeds,” added Holtkotte.
The bank will spend 11 million Euros in the rehabilitation of water supply and a further 1 million Euros to rehabilitate the existing sewerage system in Kisii Town.
CEC in charge of Agriculture and Livestock Development Vincent Sagwe who represented the Governor at the meeting said the County Government had prioritized water supply and all necessary support will be given to the project.
“The Governor’s vision is to reduce the distance covered to access water points from the current average of 2km to less than one kilometer in Kisii County. That is why we are focusing on revival of stalled water projects like Birongo and Gesusu as well as launching new ones to ensure our people access reticulated water,” said Sagwe.
Eng. Oronje said 5,000 new meters had been acquired for use by GWASCO to streamline revenue collection and cut on losses. “The meters have been delivered in our Kisumu offices and samples have been sent to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for evaluation. We want to ensure each customer is billed and faulty meters replaced,” said Eng. Oronje.
KFW also announced it was exploring possibilities of investing in mini-hydro generation projects within Kisii and Nyamira Counties.
