We won’t pay for water, firm tells Lenku

Residents of Magadi in Kajiado County quench thirst at the only source of water. However, precious commodity has turned a tag of war between residents of Magadi and the county government of Kajiado. [Standard]

A multi-national soda ash miner in Lake Magadi has said it will not pay Kajiado county government for water it draws from a natural source.

Tata Chemicals Magadi Ltd said it already pays the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) for its water extraction permit and, therefore, the county government has no legal basis to claim money from it over the fresh water.

Tata Executive Director Harish Nair said in a letter to the county government that WRMA had advised them that the county could not be paid for extraction of the water.

“As per the advice of WRMA, only they are mandated to collect water permit fees. Our water abstraction at Nguruman is in compliance with WRMA permit and we continue to comply with all permit requirements,” said Mr Nair’s letter to Kajiado Water and Irrigation Executive Michael Semera.

In the letter dated July 9, 2019, Nair avers that the advice from WRMA should make the county government desist from asking for water levies from the Nguruman water source.

Nair was responding to renewed pressure from Governor Joseph ole Lenku’s administration for the company to pay for water distributed to their company from the water source in Magadi ward.

On April 16, Mr Semera wrote to Magadi Soda informing them of the county’s plan to install a bulk water meter at the company “as a measure to regulate supply of water to the company.”

Semera further asked the company to pay the county government a fixed monthly charge of Sh1 million with immediate effect.

“Tata Chemicals should stop confusing things. We are asking for a meter to charge for water distributed from the source. We are not asking for water extraction permit fees. We have a water service provider with a jurisdiction in the area the lake occupies. They should pay to that service provider,” said Semera.