Water is life. However, access to fresh water remains a pipe dream to residents of the populous Kitengela town. Acute water shortage has left the town dwellers grappling with unquenched thirst.
The water shortage dates back to February 2019 when the government through the ministry of water and sanitation banned the export processing zone authority (Epza) against supplying fresh water on grounds that the business was illegal. The export zone ceased supply of piped fresh water with immediate effect to the chagrin of suffering residents.
Out of desperation to access fresh water, a lucrative unregulated water vending business was born.
The government directed that Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company supply the town with fresh water but the county government failed to secure a deal with Epza to utilize their existing infrastructure. The county negotiations spearheaded by governor Joseph Ole Lenku went on until December but yielded no fruits.
The county government of Kajiado instead opted for water kiosks. Eight kiosks were set up at a tune of Ksh 20million.
The much hyped Ksh3 water for a 20litres jerican was to be fetched from the kiosks.
Owing to the large population, queues were long and it is out of desperation to access the water that some rogue cartels colluded with county officials who would sell hundreds of Jericans to specific individuals who will in turn resale the same to desperate residents who missed out an opportunity to fetch the water directly.
Just a few months later, the water supply was suspended. The kiosks would be open twice or thrice a week and water rationed amid weird occurrences where in some instances the water had a foul smell.
The kiosks now remain abandoned.
Residents now depend on water vendors who supply the commodity with hand pulled carts, donkeys while others fetch the same in mushroomed private water kiosks.
Salty water sells at Ksh 20 while fresh water sells between Ksh 30-50 for a 20 litre jerican.
Due to lack of regulation, residents have raised alarm over the hygiene of the water.
Large scale vendors who own a fleet of water bowsers fetch the commodity from Nairobi while small scale vendors who use hand and donkey pulled carts fetch the water from the neighboring Athi-river in Machakos County.
Locals are now calling on the Kajiado county government to offer a long lasting solution to the problem.
Salty water from private boreholes dominate the town taps with a 1,000cubic meter costing up to Ksh 250.
Water, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources County executive committee member Michael Semera declined to comment on the acute water shortage.
Written by Tina Musa, TV47 Correspondent.
