Solar-powered borehole ends years of water shortages for 500 Baringo households

Residents of Perkerra Ward in Baringo County perform during the launch of the solar-powered Toniok Borehole, a project expected to provide reliable water to more than 500 households. [Courtesy]

A solar-powered borehole is now supplying more than 500 households in Perkerra Ward, Baringo County, ending years of water shortages caused by an unreliable diesel-powered system residents could not afford to run.

The Toniok Borehole was officially launched by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya, Henk Jan Bakker, under the Catchment to Tap (C2T) Project.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands funded the initiative, while the World-Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya (WWF-Kenya) implemented it in partnership with World Waternet, Vitens Evides International, the Centre for Integrated Water Basin Management at Egerton University and the Kenya Water and Sanitation Network (KEWASNET).

The project cost Sh2.5 million, part of a Sh8.8 million grant awarded to the Narosura Water Resource Users Association (WRUA) to strengthen water resource management and conserve catchments in the Lake Baringo-Bogoria basin.

Workers built a nine-metre water tower and installed two 10,000-litre storage tanks, adding 20,000 litres of storage capacity.

Previously, residents had to raise money for diesel or electricity before the borehole could pump water. When contributions fell short, the system stalled, forcing families to walk long distances or hire motorcycles to fetch water.

"We walked long distances carrying water on our backs," said Judy Chirchir, a resident.

"Sometimes we hired motorcycles, but that was expensive and not every family could afford it. The solar-powered system has greatly reduced our expenses."

Doreen Ngetich, another resident, used to walk about three kilometres over steep hills to fetch water for her household and livestock.

"I could not always afford diesel to run the engine or the money needed to pay the people who operated it," she explained, adding, “Now solar power has made things easier. We will have more time for our families, farming and other activities."

Perkerra Ward MCA Kennedy Kiprono noted that the old arrangement bred confusion, with some residents contributing fuel money and others contributing little or nothing, complicating management of the system.

Baringo Deputy Governor Felix Kiplagat Maiyo said the county has drilled more than 700 boreholes, but only about 60 per cent are functional because of high power costs.

He observed that just 10 per cent of the county's boreholes have been solarised so far and the county wants to raise that figure to between 30 and 50 per cent.

"When a partner comes on board and offers support, the county must also show what it is contributing," Maiyo added.

Bakker described the Toniok initiative as a model for integrated water-resource management, noting that climate change is disrupting water availability across the world, leaving some areas flooded and others parched.

He stressed that water should remain affordable but not free, pointing out that communities must contribute to operating and maintaining infrastructure.

Wayne Kiplimo, Secretary of the Narosura WRUA, explained that an assessment carried out before the project found communities, farmers and livestock keepers competing for the same limited water sources, prompting the combination of infrastructure upgrades with training for water committees.

WWF-Kenya Chief Executive Jackson Kiplagat called for a systematic county plan to harvest rainwater and recharge aquifers, observing that large volumes of rainwater currently flow downstream unused while some communities face shortages.