JUBILATION AS KEN GEN HANDS OVER KSH.143M PROJECT TO LOCALS.
By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu.
Syprose Jump, 77 could not hold back her joy. For several years now, Juma and her neighbours in the remote village of Ongoro in Rachuonyo district have had to trek many kilometers in search of water.
Yesterday the drought stricken village broke into song and dance as the Kenya Electricity generating company(KEN GEN) Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Eddy Njoroge, flanked by the company chairman, Mr. Titus Mbathi, handed over two water projects worth ksh.143 million to communities around Sondu as part of its corporate social responsibility.
The water projects, targeting to benefit 14,000 residents of Nyakach,Kasipul Kabondo and Karachuonyo constituencies are part of KEN GEN’s corporate social responsibility activities associated with the multi million Sondu Hydropower project.
The first project in Nyakach area, on the right bank of river Sondu, comprises of a water regulating pond and a treatment plant, with a capacity to supply 30,000 liters of water per hour.
It has a 1.5 meter high prefabricated steel tank, with a storage capacity of 60,000 liters of water and a distribution network of 13 water kiosks, each with a capacity of 5000 liters.
The second project on the left bank of the River will serve residents of Kabondo and Karachuonyo, and comprises six boreholes, feeding three, ten meter high prefabricated steel tanks, complete with two storage tanks with a total of 90,000 liters capacity.
The second water project has 18 water kiosks for distribution, with a capacity of 5000 liters each.
According to the MD, the Ksh.143 million included the cost of drilling boreholes, civil works and power connections, out of which Kengen contributed ksh.128.3 million, while the community contributed ksh.14.8 million in kind, including donating land, way levies and masonry works for the kiosks.
The successful implementation of the project that is bound to change the lives of many of the villagers was undertaken by the Wells construction Limited, which is reputed for completing many successful government funded water projects, mainly at the Coast province, where the contractor,Daniel Muli is based.
Members of parliament in whose constituencies the projects are situated praised the contractor, whom they commended for implementing the project within the contract period, and asked the government institutions to consider local contractors like Muli, who have demonstrated that they have the capacity to deliver the projects timely.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kasipul kabondo Mp, Oyugi Magwanga, said that in the past, Asian contractors have been favoured by the government institutions to do the projects and many times with disappointing results.
“Today we have witnessed a satisfying job of one of our own constructors. What now needs to be done by the government is to continue to award tenders to these contractors who have shown exemplary performance, as a way of empowering them economically, since they also help us create jobs to our people”, said Magwanga.
He also asked the committees that will now run the water projects to manage them well for sustainability.
Also present at the handing over ceremony was Karachunyo MP, engineer James Rege, who is also the chairman of the parliamentary committee on energy, and his Nyakach counterpart, Mr.Pollyns Ochieng as well as the Nyanza deputy Pc, Mrs Susan Waweru, among other dignitaries.
ENDS