Kwale's Mwakalanga dam on course, say leaders

KWALE, KENYA: Over 2,400 families in Kwale can breathe a sigh of relief following the completion of the excavation work of the county’s largest dam at Mwereni ward in Lunga Lunga.

According to site engineer, the embankment of the Sh150 million dam, which will provide water to five villages, will be completed in a months’ time a head of expected heavy long rains.

Mwereni area Member of County Assembly Menza Beja and locals said that the construction work was within the stipulated period and dismissed Auditor General’s report claiming it had lagged behind.

“We are happy with the progress. The excavation work is complete and the information we have is that the contractor will be through with the embankment in the coming weeks,” he said.

The Mwakalanga dam will supply water to over 2, 400 residents of the five villages of Mwakalanga, Kalalani, Naseria, Mwanya wa Bugu and Magogoni villages.

Beja said the dam being constructed by End to End Limited will provide clean water for the locals who have for years been forced to trek miles in search of the commodity.

He said the company will contractor would construct the dam in three phases.

“After the embankment, the second phase will involve connecting pipes to five villages,” said Beja who said the ravaging drought had affected many families in the area.

“We want our people, including children in school, to access clean and safe water,” said Governor Salim Mvurya’s Communication Director, Daniel Nyasi.

He said the governor and Members of the County Assembly have prioritized water harvesting as a key enabler to combat hunger, as it will provide water for irrigation.

Currently, the coast region is experiencing drought, which has also occasioned a rise in cases of human-wildlife conflicts.

In Mwareni ward, all the 12 seasonal rivers and small water dam that serves over 3,000 families in the five remote villages bordering Tanzania, in Lunga Lunga constituency have dried up.