Murang’a: Residents of Ithanga and Kakuzi-Mitubiri wards in the lower Gatanga region of Murang’a County have for generations faced significant challenges stemming from lack of access to clean water. The lower Gatanga region is arid and often experiences acute drought that leads to famine due to lack of rain and without the provision of piped water, residents trek many kilometres in search of water from dry riverbeds. The water crisis has not only affected households but has also taken a toll on local schools, posing a health risk to students and pupils owing to poor sanitation and poor hygiene practices.
According to Kenya News Agency, with the completion of the Sh3.5 billion Ithanga Water and Irrigation project, the residents’ struggles to access clean water will soon be history, as the commodity will not only make life bearable but also cushion them from perennial food shortages. The project, commissioned by GOK under the implementation of the Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA), is expected to benefit over 9,000 households in the two wards of Kakuzi Mitubiri and Ithanga. The 39-km pipeline project is being managed by Gatanga Water and Sanitation Company.
The Company’s Managing Director, Eng. John Kairu, said the project is complete and already, 2000 households have benefitted from the last-mile connectivity. ‘Ninety per cent of the project will be served by gravity and 10 per cent requires the pumping system. Projectively, by August, all the households will have been connected,’ he said. He noted that the area has been water stressed since time immemorial but with this project, ‘this will be one of the highly connected areas in Murang’a, as it has been designed to provide water to the last customer through last-mile connectivity.’
The MD, however, cited climate change and vandalism of water infrastructure as some of the greatest hindrances towards water provision. ‘Theft and vandalism mean we have to shut down the system and we are working closely with the administration and security agencies to ensure we address this challenge.’
KNA also spoke to some of the residents who have benefited from the project. ‘We could hardly get water and the learners are having a lot of problems because even telling them to come with water from home was impractical because even at home there was no water,’ says Michael Mwaura, the Head Teacher at Makutano Primary School. ‘We resorted to not washing the classrooms and at one time they could hardly get water to drink and the only water available was little water from a dam and it posed a health hazard,’ Mwaura said. ‘We are celebrating that we have clean water to drink because we would only get hard water and even learning was difficult,’ he added.
Nzioka Munyao, on his part, notes that since he moved to Ithanga in 1986, it is the first time they are having clean water to drink, as they have previously relied on water from dams, posing a health hazard to many residents. ‘I have even planted a few tomatoes for my family, something that could not have been possible without water,’ he notes.
Those who are yet to get connected have urged the government to expedite the process. They indicated that if they were supplied with water for irrigation, they would be able to feed themselves without solely relying on food rations from the government. ‘We are hard-working people and with this project, we can get water for consumption and irrigation. It will support plant growth and animal husbandry that will go a long way in helping us put food on the table,’ said one Joyce Muthini. ‘We will stop relying on donkey cart water vendors to supply us with the basic commodity at Sh20 per twenty-litre jerrican and in these economically challenging times, having access to safe and clean drinking water would be a relief,’ she added.