The government has assured the Lower Eastern residents that Thwake Multi-purpose Dam will be completed as scheduled.
Outgoing Water Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome said there was good progress despite delays caused by the payment process.
“I don’t think anybody should be alarmed that the first phase of this project may not end next year on February 6th, as scheduled,” Wahome said on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the Dam.
She said the project, which is now at 86% completion, is on course and appealed to the workers to be patient as their payments are processed.
“I have already communicated to the workers not to send false alarms. Sometimes there are challenges in processing payments that might cause a two-week delay,” she observed.
Consequently, the CS noted that the monies would be paid in the next week, saying the work would be upscale to beat the deadline.
During the inspection, the CS also discouraged local leaders against divisive politics that could impact negatively on the project and instead challenged them to supplement government efforts in ensuring the dam was completed on time.
“We will be having regular meetings involving the project team, governor, senator, MPs, and national government administration officers to monitor the progress, besides holding meetings to solve any emerging issues,” she added.
On corporate social responsibility, Wahome directed that all public amenities benefiting local communities be completed and ready for commissioning.
Some of the projects include drilling six boreholes, constructing a fully equipped maternity, and constructing classrooms in selected primary schools in Kitui and Makueni counties.
Speaking at the same event, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. called upon the national government to maintain the roads damaged by the heavy trucks carrying construction materials to the dam.
Mutula noted that the poor state of the roads has hindered the smooth transportation of goods and services in the county, saying the destruction may be huge with the impending EL Nino rains expected later this October.
Among the local leaders present were Senator Daniel Maanzo and Makueni Member of Parliament (MP) Susan Kiamba, who pledged to work closely with the government to ensure the dam is completed to benefit the local residents.
CS Alice Wahome has been reassigned to the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Planning.
By Patrick Nyakundi
