Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eng. Eric Muuga has assured Kenyans that the State has fully engaged key stakeholders, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), to fast-track funding to hasten the completion of Thwake Multipurpose Dam.
Eng. Muuga said this during a tour of the multi-billion dam funded by AfDB-GoK that is going to benefit close to 1.3 million residents drawn from the rural parts of the Lower Eastern counties of Makueni, Kitui, and parts of Machakos.
Consequently, the CS assured the contractor that his ministry will fast-track processing of the pending Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) to ensure the project is completed as scheduled.
“We have engaged all stakeholders involved to ensure that we complete this project. The fiscal financial space we are currently operating in as a nation is cutting across all the ministries, including water and sanitation. This is why we are in constant communication with the AfDB to fast-track payment of pending certificates so that the contractor can complete the work,” said Eng. Mugaa during a tour of the project on Monday.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the project has faced significant cash flow challenges, adding that the Dam Embankment settlement is going on well and nearing completion.
“Technically, for the last two months, we had to allow the dam embankment to settle properly; hence, no work could have been undertaken. Settlement is nearly complete at the edge, and the professionals at the Ministry, the Contractor, and the Consultant have confirmed that it is almost complete,” he added.
“As a ministry, we are keen to give value for money, and for every coin spent here, people must enjoy the benefits of this project,” he noted.
He added that the farmers in the Lower Eastern region will contribute to the food security of the country since they will be depending on water from the dam to irrigate their farms.
“Thwake Multipurpose Dam is a flagship project under the Kenya Kwanza administration and among the five key dams being constructed in the country. This dam will boost the country’s food security agenda, whereby farmers will irrigate the good arable and fertile soils to contribute to food security,” explained Eng. Muuga.
“The farmers in the lower region will no longer rely on unpredictable rains but will instead do irrigation farming,” the CS added during his maiden tour of the dam being constructed at the confluence of the Athi and Thwake rivers in the border of Makueni and Kitui counties.
Additionally, he observed that the place will also become a tourist attraction as there will be a road constructed on top of the embankment to connect Makueni and Kitui.
“This will be a tourist attraction place. Water impounded here will be a tourist attraction. A road will be constructed here to connect the Makueni and Kitui communities,” said Muuga.
He revealed that the water supply component will require Sh17 billion and Sh2.4 billion to be spent on the irrigation component, respectively.
At least 150, 000 cubic meters of water will be distributed daily to the residents of the area once the project is complete.
The programme is being implemented in four phases, including the construction of an 80.5-meter-high multi-purpose dam with a storage capacity of 688 mm3 of water and the development of a hydropower generating system with an installed capacity of approximately 20 MW.
He was accompanied by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Water and Sanitation Julius Korir, Water Secretary Eng. Samuel Alima, the Contractor, the Consultant, and a section of the implementation team.
By Patrick Nyakundi
