The National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary (CS), John Mbadi, on Friday inspected the Savona Water Project at Shitao Community, which is under rehabilitation by the county government in collaboration with the national government.
Mbadi said once complete, the project will provide about 80 per cent of the water required in Kakamega County.
“Kakamega requires about 8,000 cubic meters, which is 8 million litres of water, daily. And this project, once complete, will provide around 6,500 cubic meters of water, which is 6.5 million litres, to the people of Kakamega, and this is a very big step,” he noted.
The CS said phase 1 and phase 2 of the project are nearing completion, with the project set to be completed and commissioned in March.
“The spirit of devolution is to ensure development goes to every corner of the country; I thank the governor for reviving this project, and we as the national government shall assist the County Government of Kakamega in order for citizens to get services; every resident has a right to get clean water of enough quality and quantity, which is enshrined in the constitution, Article 43,” Mbadi noted.
The Water project is part of the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme, where the national government has allocated Sh292 million for Kakamega County to undertake climate mitigation measures.
“We shall increase the allocation of more funds towards FLLoCA in the county because we understand that Kakamega is one of the most populous counties in the country,” the CS assured.
The water project will be powered by solar energy, and CS Mbadi said that Kenya has made tremendous steps in developing green energy, which has positioned the country among the top in the world.
“Therefore we are going to continue to even realise 100 per cent green energy; Kenya is respected globally; that is why we are getting money on climate financing,” he noted.
Governor Fernandes Barasa said the county government has allocated Sh109 million towards the implementation of FLLoCA projects in addition to the funding from the national government towards nurturing the environment and climate mitigation measures.
He said that the Savona water project is one of the flagship projects of FLLoCA, where the county government has allocated Sh34 million for the solarisation of the project.
“We are rehabilitating the water project through the Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (KACUWASCO), which, once complete, will serve almost 80 per cent of Kakamega’s water needs,” he added.
He said the County Government of Kakamega, in collaboration with other partners, is also implementing fencing of Kakamega Forest, which is the only existing tropical rainforest in East and Central Africa.
“So we are delighted that in Kakamega we are hosting one of the prestigious and unique forests in Eastern Central Africa. I believe that we are going to transform the lives of people of Kakamega County through the collaboration between the national government and the county government,” he noted.
Governor Barasa welcomed more financing, noting that the county government is ready to absorb even more than Sh500 million through FLLoCA towards climate mitigation.
By Moses Wekesa