A man shouts on the streets of Murang'a last month during a march to protest against disconnection of water supply to the town. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

MURANGA, KENYA: A protracted dispute over water tariffs between the county government and a service provider seems set to continue.

Consumers have borne the brunt of the feud between the county government and the Murang'a Water and Sanitation Company (Muwasco), which goes back to 2013, when Mwangi wa Iria was elected governor.

Peter Munga, the former Equity Bank chairman, serves as the chairman of Muwasco.

Mr Iria’s decision to oust Mr Munga from Muwasco is believed to have sowed seeds of discord that have germinated into the current dispute.

But the more pertinent question during the past five years has been just how much Murang’a residents should pay for water, and the level of control the county has over water firms.

The governor seems to have been buoyed by a ruling by Justice Hatari Waweru which said the county could take over water provision from companies because it was a devolved function.

The ruling was made in a case where five water and sanitation providers – Muwasco, Gatanga, Murang'a South, Gatamathi and Kahuti – were seeking to overturn Iria's decision to dissolve their management boards.

But what has put Muwasco in hot water are hiked water tariffs.

For three years, Muwasco has tried to increase water charges. In 2014, the company recalled the November bills after a public uproar.

In its defence, Muwasco said the new tariffs were necessary so it could pay a loan it had taken from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to construct the Kiwambeu water treatment plant.

Increase tariffs

A fresh bid to increase tariffs flopped in 2015 before the company finally got its way in 2016.

In the new charges, consumers who used less than six cubic metres of water a month would pay Sh330 up from Sh200.

Consumers protested at the 65 per cent increment and the county got into the dispute, with Iria ordering the tariffs to be rescinded.

The governor said the hands-off approach by the county had given the water companies too much operational leeway.

"The county government has been in the dark as companies have acquired huge loans from the African Development Bank, among others, that do not tally with the number of connections,” Iria noted.

Munga, on the other hand, insisted that reforms contained in the Water Act were meant to cushion consumers from inefficiency, adding that water provision had greatly improved since the introduction of the semi-autonomous water firms in the counties.

“I’m talking from a point of knowledge since I have been in the water sector since the 1980s. In fact I was among the people who formulated the policy on efficient water management. As a result of the reforms, we were able to get a lot of donors,” he said.

Munga argued that if well managed, the water sector could attract interest from other African nations, which could then outsource its management in their own countries.

“When we were carrying out reforms, we were looking forward to having professionally run firms which could win tenders in other countries to manage their water. This has happened before where KPLC had a three-year tender to maintain power lines in Liberia.”

He added: "During my time in the water ministry, I was able to get hands-on experience in Italy, France and England on how water is managed. That is what we wanted replicated in Kenya."

But the governor said he was determined to ensure residents got water at affordable tariffs.

"I deal directly with the people who voted for me and that is why I'm fighting for them. Our main objective is to make the lives of Murang'a people better because water is life. We must ensure that provision of water is streamlined and prioritised."

Iria also scuttled Muwasco's plan to establish the Murang’a Water Institute, saying it did not add value and that water technology skills could be acquired in county-funded polytechnics.

According to Munga, the institution would serve as a springboard to reforms that would create an adept workforce.

"The water institute is one of a kind and is meant to ensure that skilled labour is obtained locally and people get employment. I'm sure this is something other counties would embrace without hesitation."

Skilled labour

Muwasco MD Daniel Ng'ang'a described the dispute as retrogressive.

"We are wholly owned by the county government but we would be going back 15 years, when water was provided by departments in municipalities. County governments have many functions and for us to achieve the goal of water provision to all, water should be provided by agents such as Muwasco," he said.

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