Water crisis looms in Coast counties over Sh1.2b bills

Environment and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu (left) and Coast Water Services Board Chairman Granton Samboja commission the Mombasa Lot 2 project in Nyali yesterday. The board has threatened to disconnect water flow to local counties. [PHOTO: KELVIN KARANI/STANDARD]

Thousands of residents of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita Taveta may have their piped water disconnected in the next two weeks.

This follows revelations that the Coast Water Services Board (CWSB) is grinding to a halt due to a debt of Sh1.2 billion owed by these counties.

Kenya Power Company and the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) are threatening to auction CSWB’s assets to recover old debts.

The bill obtained by The Standard shows that Mombasa County has the highest outstanding water bill of over Sh608 million followed by Kilifi County with more than Sh188 million. Malindi sub-county owes the CSWB over Sh140 million while Kwale and Taita-Taveta counties owe more than Sh142 million and Sh121 million respectively.

DISPUTED AMOUNTS

Kwale County has disputed the amount charged accusing CSWB of playing around with figures. County Executive for Water Hemedi Mwabudzo yesterday said the amount charged by CSWB is not validated and accused the board of changing the figures from Sh40 million, to Sh90 million and even more.

“We actually don’t know how much we owe them,” said Mr Mwabudzo.

His sentiments were shared by Kwale Water Company Acting Managing Director Erick Parmet, who said the firm has not been sincere with billing.

“The meter bill is not good as the money paid per month has been put at Sh3.5 million when its only one borehole at Tiwi and the Mzima pipeline,” he said as officials claimed that Kwale, in fact, ought to be paid for supplying water from its springs to the CSWB and other counties.

And last evening Executive Fatuma Awale of Mombasa disputed the alleged Sh608 million debt and accused CSWB of giving unilateral figures without consulting the county administration.

She said she was aware CSWB is “demanding Sh608 million from us” but added that that figure was calculated by CSWB alone. She also claimed that CSWB has been reluctant to accept a World Bank offer two years ago to finance a forensic audit of all debts in order reconcile all outstanding or old debts to arrive at figures acceptable to all parties.

“As far as we are concerned we do not owe them that amount,” Ms Awale said last evening.

In Taita Taveta County, water supply was restored yesterday after being disconnected by the board on Saturday over debts amounting to Sh121 million.

The Taita Taveta Water Executive Stephen Masamo confirmed that normal water supply has now resumed in the region.

AUCTION ASSETS

“Taps are now running with water bringing to an end five days of anguish. The resumption of water supply was as a result of successful negotiations between the county administration and the CWSB,” said Mr Masamo.

But CWSB warned yesterday that it will disconnect water in the four counties unless the the debts are paid in two weeks.

CWSB Corporate Affairs Manager Fatma Gakuria confirmed yesterday that the board disconnected water in Taita Taveta County and restored it after partial payment of its huge bill.

According to the bill obtained by The Standard, Taita Taveta had already paid Sh800,000 as at March, Mombasa Sh22,000, Malindi Sh 13,000 and Kilifi and Mariakani Water Sewerage Company Sh14,300.

Meanwhile the board says it seeks to recover more than Sh1.2 billion from the county governments, which manage the county water services companies that supply water to consumers.

The board has called a crisis meeting this week to deliberate on the debts amid pressure from the WRMA, which is said to be contemplating auctioning the board’s resources to recover Sh45 million, as well as Kenya Power which demands Sh35 million per month for the Baricho pipeline alone.

“The board will sit this week to deliberate on how to recover debts from the county governments because our operations have been overstretched. Recently WRMA threatened to auction our assets when it sought to recover Sh75 million,” CWSB Chairman Granton Samboja said yesterday.

Mr Samboja was flanked by board member Major (Rtd) Suleiman Gharib, CWSB Chief Executive James Thubu and Ms Gakuria.

POLICY SHIFT

“The board recognises the water service providers as key stakeholders in the water supply chain. We urge them to fulfill their payment obligations on time to enable the board maintain the rehabilitated infrastructure. At this juncture it should be noted that the board incurs excessively high electricity bills amounting to over Sh35 million every month. This remains to be the greatest challenge that the board faces in its service delivery,” Samboja said.

The board intends to turn to the use of wind and solar energy in future to cushion itself against high power bills.

Mr Gharib hinted at a major policy shift at the board to help in recovering the debts even as counties claim to have inherited huge debts from the former local authorities.

CWSB will inform the residents to brace themselves for the water cuts and store water during the implementation exercise in all the indebted counties.

“We may suggest a major policy shift to the Cabinet secretary to assist water boards recover debts. We intend to disconnect water but at the same time we do not want to hurt the poor water consumers at the Coast,” Gharib noted. There was public outcry among residents over the water disconnections with Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu terming the move as illegal, unilateral and unacceptable.