Water firm's five-year plan to improve services

Nyamira Water minister Samuel Maiko (left) celebrates with staff of Gusii Water and Sanitation Company during the launch of their five-year strategic plan to improve water supply in the region. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

The Gusii Water and Sanitation Company (Gwasco) has launched an initiative to support multi-billion donor projects in the region.

Dubbed the Second Strategic Plan 2017-2022, the initiative supports the need to have safe water supply to all residents by the year 2030, which is one of the sustainable development goals.

Gwasco acting Managing Director Hesbon Nanga said the company was looking forward to achieving milestones set out in the plan.

“We intend to have increased funding from the national government and other development partners to achieve full cost recovery by 2022 and increase sanitation coverage to at least 90 percent,” he said.

The water firm was established to spearhead better water and sewerage services in Kisii and Nyamira counties. But according to the company management, this has not happened owing to low investment.

The water supply capacity under Gwasco stands at 18,230 cubic meters from 10 water schemes. This serves nearly 600,000 people in the urban areas of the two counties.

Water supply coverage stands at 47 percent against a national coverage of 55 percent. Sewerage services cover only 15 percent of Kisii town, while other urban centers are served by exhausters run by the company.

The five-year plan envisions the development of water and sewerage infrastructure that will demand substantial finances. Commercial funding will address both medium and long-term infrastructural development.

Currently, the region is set to benefit from a Sh10 billion water project by the national government and other development partners. After completion, water supply capacity will increase to more than 20 million cubic meters per day. Residents in the neighbouring Migori and Narok will also benefit.

A Chinese company, China Jiangxi International Limited, will do the water and sanitation works that include upgrading of the existing Kebirigo pumping station, augmentation of the existing distribution network with new pipelines both in Kisii and Nyamira, and improvement of works at the intake and raw water pumping stations.

Rehabilitation is also being done on the Kisii, Nyamira, Liten, Sotik and Kericho water line at a cost of Sh400 million.