The Coast Water Service Board (CWSB) has disconnected water supply to five counties over arrears. The board said it will not reconnect water to Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties until they pay their December bills.
The board disconnected supply on January 22 over Sh1.3 billion in arrears accrued since July 1, 2013 but reconnected Kilifi County yesterday after it paid its December 2015 bill of Sh22 million and agreed to pay some Sh344 million in installments. Lamu and Tana River counties do not receive water from CSWB.
Yesterday, Mombasa and Kwale county governments accused CWSB of bullying them and misrepresenting their indebtedness. They accused CWSB of flouting regulations set by the Transition Authority on settling debts and problems between it and county governments.
“Kwale Water and Sewerage Company (KAWASCO), which the County Government has restructured, has been paying electricity bills promptly and servicing water pumps since 2013. CWSB, which is supposed to have done this, failed to do so, besides a keen scrutiny of invoices from CWSB revealed that costs incurred by KAWASCO were not deducted from the CWSB bills,” said Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya.
He said the disconnection is against a directive by Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa that the board refrain from carrying out any disconnections before an amicable solution is reached. Now CSWB says its reservoirs are untreated for lack of finances in its coffers and ruled out re-connection to three counties in the region until they pay their bills.
Meanwhile, thousands of Mombasa and Kwale residents have gone without water for days as Acting Mombasa County Executive Committee member in charge of Water Tendai Lewa accused the CSWB of persecuting them by not reconnecting water. Tendai claimed the county administration paid its debt on Thursday. CWSB said yesterday it had no money to purchase chlorine and other chemicals needed to treat the water. And yesterday the bulk water distributor furthered eased the burden on the counties, saying it was ready to reconnect water if they pay last December bill to enable it treat the commodity. “We will not connect untreated water and we do not want to be responsible for spread of waterborne diseases. We need money to buy chemicals,” said CWSB board member Gharib Suleiman Gharib.
CWSB Acting CEO Joseph Omwange said Kilifi County yesterday paid its December bill of Sh26 million and had its connection restored after water in the tanks that distribute to the county was treated.
“We have ceded ground; we are not demanding arrears accrued by the defunct municipalities and we have also told them that if they pay the December bill and come up with a formula on how they will clear the arrears accrued since the county administration came to power, we will connect
We cannot release untreated water to the masses,” said Mr Omwange. Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company Managing Director Kombo Rajab said the board of directors would issue a comprehensive statement on the water crisis later today.
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