The Bomet County government has disconnected water supply to Bureti sub County in Kericho County over unpaid water bills amounting to Sh. 21 million.
Residents of Bureti have gone without running water in their taps since the Chrsitmas eve to date owing to the unsettled water bill.
The Kericho Water and Sanitation Company Limited (KEWASCO) managing director Mr. Joseph Terer confirmed that indeed water to Kericho was cut off by the Bomet County government owing to unsettled water bill.
Speaking to KNA on phone today, Terer said that plans are in place to pay up the unsettled water bill and assured the residents of Bureti that they will get water as soon as the bill is settled.
“Payment of the shillings 21 million water bill owed to Bomet County by the Kericho County will be made starting today Thursday and by the weekend the resumption of the supply will have been restored”, Terer said.
The KEWASCO MD said that plans were underway to look into an alternative water intake point at Itare river with Kericho County so that water could be pumped and stored at Chemoiben reservoir tanks.
He regretted that water supply problems to Bureti sub County soon emerged when Bomet took over the Bureti intake point which fell within Bomet owing to the creation of Counties in the Country.
The Itare intake water point for Bureti was built in 1981 by the then public works minister Prof. Jonathan Ngeno. The project was hailed as a lasting solution to the use of donkeys to supply water to Litein town and its environs.
Litein residents led by Charles Too decried the continued disconnection of water to Litein and Bureti sub County as a whole by Bomet County especially during the December festive seasons.
He noted that the move has been repeated in the last five years and appealed to the leadership of Kericho to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Water vendors using donkeys and boda boda motorcycles have been making a kill in the last two weeks to supply the Litein town residents with water. A jerican costs 20 shillings.
By Dominic Cheres
