By GASTONE VALUSI
President William Ruto has announced that the National Infrastructure Fund will support the construction of dams and expansion of water distribution networks to households across the country.
Speaking in Mbiuni on Saturday during the commissioning of the Mwala Cluster Water Project, Ruto said Sh300 billion had been set aside for the construction of 12 dams, including two in the Ukambani region.
He said previous water projects had been implemented in an uncoordinated manner, but the government was now streamlining the sector to ensure efficient use of resources and sustainable solutions to water shortages.
The Mwala Cluster Water Project, located in Mbiuni Ward, Mwala Constituency, is among the major interventions aimed at addressing decades of water scarcity in Lower Eastern.
Valued at Sh1.47 billion, the project is funded by the African Development Bank in partnership with the national government through the Tanathi Water Works Development Agency and the Machakos County Government.
The project has a production capacity of 6.6 million litres of clean water daily and is expected to serve more than 120,000 residents in its initial phase. Upon full completion, the number of beneficiaries is projected to rise to more than 270,000 across Mwala and Matungulu sub-counties.
The beneficiary areas include Mwala, Makutano, Masii, Kivandini, Wamunyu, Kathama, Ol Donyo Sabuk, Mbiuni, Mbaani, Kilembwa and Kyawango, among other trading centres.
The project involves the construction of water intake facilities on River Ndarugu in Kiambu County, water treatment facilities at Kyeleni in Matungulu Sub-County and a booster station at Syathani in Mwala Sub-County.
It also includes the installation of storage tanks at Muthei in Masii Ward and the laying of a 105-kilometre main pipeline traversing Kayatta, Mbiuni, Mwala, Masii, Makutano and Kyuluni.
Ruto said the next phase would focus on last-mile connectivity to ensure treated water reaches individual households.
He announced that the government would allocate Sh200 million in the next budget to support household connections under the Mwala Cluster Water Project. An additional Sh500 million would be set aside for a last-mile connectivity programme expected to benefit a further 120,000 residents in Mwala Constituency.
“In the next budget next month, we will allocate Sh200 million towards the distribution of Mwala Cluster water to your households. Your MP, Kawaya, should ensure the budget is passed in Parliament,” Ruto said.
The President acknowledged that Mwala and the wider Ukambani region had experienced persistent water shortages, adding that the government was committed to addressing the problem through planned investments.
“The people of Machakos, Kitui and Makueni are hardworking, but the challenge has been water scarcity. We are going to solve the problem systematically. We must be deliberate and intentional in addressing water shortages in Ukambani, and no Kenyan should be excluded from development because of political affiliation,” he said.
The commissioning marked the start of Ruto’s four-day development tour of Ukambani, covering Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties. During the tour, he is expected to launch major road construction, affordable housing and electricity connectivity projects.
Ruto also thanked Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka for acknowledging his administration’s development initiatives, saying the opposition leader was helping communicate the government’s achievements.
“Recently, I heard Kalonzo Musyoka say that I was being used by God to construct the road to his home in Tseikuru. But I want to say there are two people God is using in Kenya. He is using me to do the work and using Kalonzo to spread the news, which is okay,” Ruto said.
