By ERIC JUMA
The National Government, in partnership with the Siaya County Government, is rolling out a last-mile water connectivity programme aimed at ending perennial water shortages in Ugunja, Sega and Ukwala towns.
According to the Managing Director of Siaya-Bondo Water and Sanitation Company (SIBOWASCO), Isaiah Adipo, contractors undertaking the first and second phases of the last-mile connectivity programme have already started work.
The two-phase projects, which seek to expand water supply in Ugunja and Ugenya sub-counties, target 3,000 households.
“The National Government, through the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, will connect 1,200 crucial customers, including health centres and schools, while 1,800 customers will be connected through the Financing Locally Led Climate Change Action programme, which is consuming Sh37 million,” Adipo said.
He said the projects would source water from the Areca water scheme, one of the 10 water schemes in Siaya operated by SIBOWASCO.
Adipo spoke at the Areca site in Ugunja Sub-County, where he hosted partners from EcoRural, Ghana water technical teams, the management of Ujimbe Water Project and Akala Water Project to inspect the multi-million-shilling facility designed to increase bulk water supply.
The last-mile connectivity programme is scheduled for completion on April 14, 2027.
“Our focus is delivering value for money and improving customer satisfaction. With the implementation of the last-mile connectivity programme, the people will benefit from this important commodity,” Adipo said.
The project is designed to improve access to safe drinking water by expanding the distribution network and addressing the long-standing challenge that has forced many households to rely on saline boreholes and irregular water supplies.
Adipo added that the Sh1 billion Ugunja-Sega-Ukwala Water Project was implemented under the Kenya Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (KTSWSSP) and jointly funded by the African Development Fund (AfDB) and the Kenyan Government.
The project established bulk infrastructure designed to produce and supply more than 8.4 million litres of treated water daily, serving more than 100,000 people across Ugunja, Sega and Ukwala towns.
The storage facilities include steel tanks at Nyambiro with a capacity of 300 cubic metres, Yenga with 300 cubic metres, St Sylvester Anyiko with 500 cubic metres and Madungu with 1,000 cubic metres. The project also has a reinforced concrete ground tank at Got Osimbo with a capacity of 1,500 cubic metres.
In a unique sustainability feature, the scheme incorporates three hydropower turbines to generate renewable energy, reducing power costs and helping ensure uninterrupted water production.
Ugunja residents led by Dick Okello lauded the government’s efforts to connect them to reliable water supplies at the household level.
Okello said constant access to clean water would contribute to Kenya’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Six, which seeks to ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water.
He said the growing population in Ugunja and Ugenya constituencies continued to strain existing water infrastructure, making expansion of the supply network critical to meeting the community’s needs.
Other residents said the continued use of saline borehole water had not only affected household consumption but had also damaged infrastructure.
Jerry Ochieng’, a resident, expressed optimism that the project would provide a lasting solution but urged the relevant agencies to complete the remaining works on schedule and ensure all targeted households were connected.
Meanwhile, Prof Klaas Schwartz, a lead trainer in water utility management at the IHE Delft Institute for Water in the Netherlands, described the project as impressive and capable of helping address the region’s water woes.
“The water project we have visited is so impressive and, for sure, it will sort out the water woes,” Schwartz said.
“I am amazed by the kind of engineering on the water project, right from the intake to the turbine unit. We are impressed by the way water pumps continue their work even during power outages.”
Schwartz said the visit had provided valuable lessons on sustainable water infrastructure.
“It has been an amazing visit and, for sure, these are very good plants. I want to document it so as to replicate projects with a similar design,” he added.
He thanked SIBOWASCO for allowing the team to visit the water projects and learn from their design and operations.
Mawunyo Kofiloto, a facilitator in water utility simulation, described the field visit as an eye-opener, saying it had provided participants with practical insights into water utility management.
Africa Water Watch Managing Director William Mboya said SIBOWASCO was an important partner in the EcoRural programme, noting that water utility managers had gained knowledge and skills on running water schemes as well as sustainability strategies.
“As a key partner, SIBOWASCO has taken us to water projects where we have learnt how water is abstracted, brought for treatment and then pumped for consumer use,” Mboya said.
Mboya also lauded Siaya County Executive Committee Member for Water Prof Jacqueline Oduol and Chief Officer Judy Oyugi for embracing partnerships aimed at building the capacity of water scheme managers.
