Report exposes rot on poor grading system in a water company

A water regulatory authority has accused a local company of including employees from another firm in its payroll.

Water Service Regulatory Board (Wasreb) claimed Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company (Muwasco) had included employees of Fort Beverages Industries Limited in its payroll.

Salary and allowances for employees from the water bottling plant were traced to Muwasco payroll.

The inspectors also discovered non-compliance with Water Resource Management (WRM) regulations in abstraction of water, invalid effluent discharge permits from Nema and lack of information technology policy.

Fort Beverages is under Muswaso but registered as a separate company.

The team probed the company from January, at the request of Water and Irrigation Executive Paul Macharia, as the county government plans to merge five local water companies.

No quality tests

Also discovered was faulty tanks at treatment plant and failure to carry out water quality tests.

Regulator's Chief Executive Officer Robert Gakubia, in the report dated July 16 addressed to the water company's Managing Director Daniel Ng'ang'a, details missing and incomplete records of customers complaints.

The report reads in parts: “We heard complaints pertaining to mismanagement, weak control systems and failure to share customer satisfaction survey results with the company staff and other stakeholders”.

The regulator recommended installation of pipeline marked posts, covering of water chambers, addressing issue of non-billed water.

When reached for comment yesterday, Ng'ang'a said he was yet to see the report.

"I am away from the office. Let us discuss the issue when I have seen the report," he said.