Baringo County government Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) to provide water to residents of Tiaty and Baringo South Sub-Counties as the latter channels water to generate electricity.
Speaking after a meeting with GDC officials led by the North Rift regional manager John Lagat, Governor Benjamin Cheboi told KNA at his office in Kabarnet, Baringo Central that they had reached an agreement to give piped water sourced from Lake Baringo to residents of Kambi Samaki up to Paka Hills in Silali ward, where the company generates power.
“The piped water will benefit all schools and communities in the two sub-counties as we have a memorandum of understanding that was signed with GDC to collaborate in areas of mutual interest,” Cheboi said.
The governor stated that while the power generating company explored and searched for energy it was paramount that residents also benefited.
Cheboi tasked area chiefs and local administration to ensure that the piping systems were fully safeguarded and not tampered with for the mutual benefit of all.
He further urged residents to cultivate kitchen gardens in order to provide nutritional support and boost immunity, noting that the county government would provide treatment plants so that residents can access safe and clean water to prevent waterborne diseases.
Consequently, Loruk slaughter house will be opened in two weeks’ time as water will be readily available to support cleanliness and any other project that had stalled would be revived. Schools in the area including Loruk primary school, Kapsoi primary school, Chebilat primary school and others will also benefit from the water that will be used by the surrounding communities, added Cheboi.
Moving forward, he said, a policy would be developed that will ensure water is provided to the targeted communities, adding that the precious commodity would be available in a weeks’ time.
On the drought crisis, Cheboi said the national government was distributing relief food to hunger-stricken residents, adding that the county government would also provide food to school going children in the hardest hit areas.
“Over 200,000 residents are facing hunger but there has been food distributed by the national government to all the affected sub-counties,” he said.
He said water challenge in the area remains immense but thanked various water agencies that had provided water boozers, dug boreholes and repaired broken boreholes to ensure no one dies of hunger.
By Caroline Cherono
