Senators demand details on Murang’a water project

Senators have asked the government to follow due process during implementation of the controversial Sh6.8 billion Murang'a water project.

They also want the government to make public all water projects being undertaken in the country as the United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) has classified Kenya as a water deficit country.

Moving a motion at the Senate yesterday, Kisumu Senator Anyang' Nyong'o called for full disclosure on the Murang’a project, including the documents of approval by the government’s regulatory agencies.

“If this matter is clearly understood and information not controlled by the government, it will make sense. But if it is not understood and controlled, then it can be dangerous in the future,” he warned.

 “The tunnel will cover 11.8kms, has a three-metre diameter and a proposed depth of 20 metres to 250meters without a surface, subject to the terrains. The tunnel is designed to extract water from the three rivers, mainly River Irati, River Itithie and River Maragwa.”

Nyong'o took issue with a report tabled before the County Assembly of Murang’a highlighting the dangers posed if the project is implemented as scheduled in five phases.

He reiterated the concerns of the County Assembly that should the project be implemented as it is, it will adversely affect the livelihood of residents.

“The government should come clear on this. Both the Senate and the county assemblies of Murang'a and Nairobi are all concerned about this project,” he said.

He faulted the government for not paying attention to a report by the Murang'a County Assembly, which established that the Water Resources Management Authority had not approved the project as it was yet to be licenced by the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) in accordance with the law.

“This project was therefore being implemented without the necessary licencing of the relevant bodies and this is a breach of the Constitution and subsidiary laws. The Senate and the County Assembly of Murang’a want to know why this happened,” he demanded.

He also took issue with the Ministry of Water, which he said ignored numerous recommendations made by the assembly.

“We want a full audit of all water projects in this country without even focusing on the impact to the environment. I met some leaders from Murang’a who expressed fear that the area might soon be without water as all the water is tapped at source,” Nyong’o said.

Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula and Senators James Orengo (Siaya) and John Lonyangapuo (West Pokot) said all queries must be answered before the project proceeds.

Prof Lonyangapuo urged the government to follow the law and protect the environment and natural resources.