Residents of Kirinyaga will no longer experience water shortages after completion of various projects that now address perennial water shortages in some parts of the county.
A total of 29 water projects were completed in the last financial year while others are currently ongoing.
The water projects involved installation of water pipes and fittings, drilling and equipping of boreholes, construction of water intakes and procurement of water tanks for distribution among residents.
Governor Anne Waiguru said that the projects are in line with her vision of ensuring access to clean water by all households as a way of improving the hygienic standards in the county.
Speaking in her office, the governor said some of the projects completed in the past financial year include Giakairegi, Kathaka and Kinyako water projects as well as Kirima and Kiamuthambi boreholes in Kirinyaga Central.
In Mwea Constituency, the completed projects include Kithiriti- Musangondi irrigation water project and Kiandegwa, Togonye, Kitheru, Rurii and Kiorugari water serving about 3,000 residents with domestic and irrigation water.
“In Ndia constituency, the county government completed Mukui, Sagana and Mung’etho water projects and Kiburu and Kamoro borehole projects, while in Gichugu constituency, Ngariama Njukiini and Kiagikiki projects are among those completed,” Waiguru said.
Judy Wanjiku, a beneficiary of Kiburu borehole says that the project has brought great relief especially to women who have had to travel long distances in search of water for domestic use.
Governor Waiguru noted that the projects also created employment opportunities for the youth who provided labour during the various phases of implementation. “We are not only providing clean water but we are creating job opportunities in process of doing all the work required,” she said.
In Wang’uru town and its environs water shortage had been a major issue of concern for a long time. Availability of clean water in Mwea has led to reduction of waterborne diseases that were prevalent in the area as a result of some residents fetching disease-infested water from rice canals.
“Wang’uru town is known for water problems and associated diseases but with completion of the water project this has been stopped. No one is fetching water from nice canals,” she added.
By Mutai Kipngetich
