Kwale County has signed a Sh1.4 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the World Bank and the Kwale Water and Sewerage Company (KWAWASCO) for the supply of water in Diani municipality.
The MoU is aimed at ending the perpetual water shortage in Diani, which is Kenya’s tourism gem and Kwale County’s main economic hub.
The project targets to increase the coverage of piped water by constructing new urban water supply schemes and rehabilitating existing ones to provide households with continuous supply of safe water.
During the signing ceremony, Governor Salim Mvurya who witnessed, accompanied by his Deputy, Fatuma Achani, flagged-off three water bowsers operated under the project.
The agreement seeks to expand water supply and sanitation coverage to the two towns that were recently elevated into municipalities.
“This new financing will enable us to increase access to piped water, improved sanitation and hygiene services” he said.
The agreement involves the drilling of 11 boreholes, construction of two large storage tanks, a testing laboratory, an office block and the replacement of the old Ng’ombeni-Ukunda line and construction of a new line to Kubo South.
“Ukunda Municipality, which is home to the best beach destination in Africa for the last eight years in a row, will now have its own water supply system,” noted Mvurya.
When complete, the new system will produce 2.1 million cubic liters of water per day.
The current old system produces only 5,000 cubic liters of water per day against a demand of 13,000 cubic liters.
The County Boss said the project will be supervised by the World Bank team in collaboration with the County Government and is expected to be ready within 12 months.
“As we sign this MoU, there is a new line from Marere springs to Kwale being constructed at a cost of Sh.426 million. It will solve the long standing water problem in Kwale,” he said.
He said his Administration has also done the Kizingo, Mtaa, Dziweni, Mbilini, Nyalani, Bofu, Chikwakwani, among other dams to tackle water shortages.
“We have also done Nyalani and Makamini dams. All this is to mitigate the water scarcity in the dry parts of our County,” said Mvurya.
The event was also graced by County Executive for Water, Martin Anyange, KWAWASCO’s Managing Director, Eric Parmet and Board members of Diani and Kwale municipalities among other officials.
By Raymond Zaka and Hussein Abdullahi
