Residents of Budalangi can now breathe a sigh of relief as Busia Woman Representative, Catherine Omanyo, launches a 30 million water project that aims at addressing the shortage of clean water in the area.
The move will also mitigate against the spread of waterborne disease which is common during floods.
The project was founded by the Catherine Omanyo Foundation, in partnership with WellBoring Company, a Britain-based organization, that aims to provide clean water to pupils and residents living around ten schools in Bunyala Sub-county.
Speaking at Bubango Primary School accompanied by area Member of Parliament (MP), Raphael Wanjala, when she flagged off the water drilling exercise, Omanyo noted that for many years, residents of Budalangi have relied on water from Lake Victoria and River Nzoia, which ended up being contaminated during the flooding period, putting residents’ health at risk.
“This project is funded by the Omanyo Foundation in partnership with the Wellboring Ltd. We are happy to announce that perennial scarcity of clean water could be a thing of the past,” said Omanyo.
“Last year while distributing relief foods to flood victims, I was challenged by women here who urged me to prioritize clean water, which was the important ingredient missing in their kitchen,” the lawmaker added.
Hundreds of households expect to benefit from the first-mile connection in which residents around Bubango, Rugunga, Mukhobola, Nanjomi, Nabuchwi, Budubusi, Bulemia, Bumadeya, and Nandekere primary schools will access clean water.
Echoing her sentiment Budalangi MP said the water project will give time to students to concentrate on their studies as the much time wasted in fetching water will be reverted to classwork.
“With the completion of this project, students will get enough time to focus on their studies as opposed to moving up and down in the springs and lake, to fetch water for domestic use,” said Wanjala.
An estimated 60 percent of Busia’s population does not have access to safe drinking water. The situation is also dire in schools, where one in three learners lack access to safe water.
“In Busia, there is acute water shortage majorly in Budalangi, Funyula, Teso North and Matayos sub-county with 60 percent of residents here struggling to get access to clean water,” Omanyo said.
During the election campaigns, both leaders at the County and national level sketched elaborate plans on how to enhance access to water for all Kenyans. Yet, the implementation plan and lack of coordination have been singled out as the main obstacles to making the dream a reality.
Lack of access to safe drinking water has had far-reaching implications for the education sector. Studies have indicated that many high school students, who have to prioritise searching for water for their families end up dropping out of school or seeing their school performance decline.
By Absalom Namwalo
