Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Zachary Mwangi Njeru has reiterated the Government’s commitment to construct 100 mega-dams to improve the water and sanitation situation in the country and food security as well.
Mr Njeru said out of the 100 proposed mega dams, 34 of them have already been earmarked for development, adding that the funding of the projects will be done through public private partnership (PPP) and added Government will be engaging various private organisations to help fund the projects.
“These are major projects that require mega funding and the Government is therefore seeking to engage our development partners in the projects,” Njeru said.
The CS also said they were working closely with other government ministries to implement the Bottom -Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and cited the ongoing affordable housing project in the Ministry of Lands and Settlement which he said requires water and sanitation infrastructure without which the project will come to naught.
He was speaking in Naivasha on Saturday during a meeting with water sector heads from his ministry.
“Two weeks ago the President launched Medium Term Plan 4(MTP4) and therefore we are meeting with heads of departments and Chief Executive Officers(CEOs) of water works development authorities to see to it that the projects align to the MTP4,”Njeru remarked.
The CS noted that the Government was committed to see works on the stalled Itare Dam in Nakuru commence again and negotiations on the matter is progressing well.
“This dam holds the solution to the water challenges facing Nakuru residents and its environs and we are keen to seen it revived,” he said.
The construction of the mega dam stalled in September 2018 after a firm which won the tender went under.
The Italian firm, CMC Di Ravenna, the main contractor which won the tender in 2014 filed for bankruptcy causing the multibillion shilling dam project to stall indefinitely.
Itare Dam that has already gobbled Sh11 billion since construction began in April 2017 now remains an incomplete project.
Last year, the then Principal Secretary(PS) Water and Sanitation Paul Ronoh was quoted saying the mega project, which is located in Kuresoi South in Nakuru County, had been allocated Sh38 billion in the 2023/2024 budget.
The project, estimated to cost the government over Sh38 billion on completion, and was at 11 per cent complete in terms of civil works and 27 per cent complete overall before it stalled.
Once completed, the Itare Dam will have the capacity to hold 27 million cubic metres of water and produce 100,000 cubic metres of water per day for Nakuru residents and beyond.
It will benefit the residents of Kuresoi, North and South; Molo and Njoro Sub-counties; as well as Nakuru City and its environs.
The multi-billion-shilling dam
By Mabel Keya Shikuku
