A contractor working on the multimillion Chemususu water supply in Baringo has been instructed to issue a revised work plan for the next 60 days to facilitate the completion of the project that is behind schedule.
Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) Director Martin Rotich said he expects the contractor, Guangxi Hydropower Construction Company, to complete putting up the chemical building house and water reticulation in Koibatek, Mogotio and Rongai sub counties within the stipulated time frame.
Speaking when he made a verification inspection tour of the project in the company of Koibatek Deputy County Commissioner Omari Ali, the PDU Director also asked Kenya Power Company officials in Kabarnet to urgently issue quotation for electricity transformer to be installed at the main water treatment plant.
He regretted that the project started in 2016 and expected to have been completed in 2018 was way back behind schedule despite the contractor being given several extension of time.
The project Resident Engineer Donald Wasike informed the inspection team that the completion level of the project currently stands at 91 percent with 96.7 percent of time expired.
Eng Wasike blamed the cause of general delays to funding, procurement of pumps, pipes, fittings and valves, presence of hard rocks along several pipeline sections, challenging terrain and delays in getting quotation for electricity transformer from Kenya Power Company.
Wasike who took the team on an extensive guided tour of the project said that a total of 146.5 kilometres of the pipeline have been completed so far with only 57.7 kilometres mostly of small pipes remaining.
“The contractor intends to sub contract these remaining works to hasten completion of the project with a capacity of 12 billion cubic metres of water and one of the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on clean water and sanitation,” he said.
He added that to date 23 out of 26 water tanks of different capacities and 24 water kiosks of the 30 have been completed stating that delay in establishment of the kiosks was caused by lack of available sites for construction.
The DCC warned that the government will not tolerate contractors who do not take their work seriously.
Mr Ali said he does not understand why some of the works have not been accomplished yet funds were released on time.
Mr Rotich asked the contractor to speed up the construction works saying it is one of the President’s legacy project which is expected to be commissioned in the course of next year.
Upon completion of the water project, more than 100,000 people and thousands of livestock in Koibatek, Mogotio and Rongai sub counties are set to access clean and safe drinking water.
Mr Wasike added that 11 towns and several learning institutions in the three sub counties will be supplied with clean piped water from the dam.
By Joshua Kibet
