Magadi women drop the donkeys as dormant water pipeline flows again after 15 years

Anglican Church Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapiti inspects the restored Sampu water pipeline at Magadi. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

 Hundreds of residents in Magadi, Kajiado West sub-county, celebrated the restoration of a water pipeline that had been non-functional for 15 years, ending decades of hardship that had forced women to trek up to 20 kilometres in search of water.

The 78-kilometre Sampu water pipeline, originally built in the 1950s, collapsed and cut off fresh water supply from the Nkuruman water towers to several villages along its route, pushing communities to rely on unsafe shallow water pans and seasonal rainfall.

Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited funded the nearly two-year rehabilitation project, which was completed under the supervision of a team of engineers and commissioned ahead of World Water Day.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Swaminathan Nagarajan called on residents to guard the infrastructure against vandalism and illegal connections to sustain the supply.

"As we mark this day, we are happy to reprieve our women from their previous journey of trekking looking for water, they will now get it near their homes. However, I appeal to the community to protect the infrastructure from vandalism," said Nagarajan.

Anglican Church Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapiti, who attended the commissioning, urged the pastoralist community to maximise the benefits of improved water access to boost their livelihoods.

"If managed well, this particular project will help this community in a big way. As a church we were very instrumental in the construction of the original pipeline, and therefore we know the benefits ahead," he noted.

Board Director Stephen Moiko said the project was long overdue given the region's persistent water scarcity.

The project includes large water storage tanks, livestock watering troughs and sanitation facilities along the pipeline route.

For local women, the commissioning marked the end of years of daily hardship.

"We have been suffering for a long time, we have been using donkeys, and if you don't have one then you are done. This project is a godsend," said Evelyn Salau.