MPs push for local communities to benefit from Mwache Dam project

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy has called on the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) to ensure communities in Kwale and Kilifi benefit from the Mwache Dam project as it moves towards completion.

The committee, chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing, made the call during an inspection of the Sh6.06 billion project in Kwale County on Thursday, which is expected to boost water supply to Mombasa and other parts of the Coast.

The lawmakers expressed concern that communities hosting the infrastructure had not been adequately considered in the project's water distribution plans.

Engineers undertaking the project told the committee that existing water supply lines serving Mombasa from Mzima Springs could be redirected to parts of Kwale and Kilifi counties once Mwache Dam is completed, helping address persistent water shortages in the two counties.

The committee urged the contractor and CWWDA to speed up the remaining works, citing the need to improve access to water across the coastal region.

"We cannot continue to have dry taps after all this time taken by the project. We need the contractor and CWWDA to expedite the pending works so that Coastal residents can enjoy this crucial commodity," said Pkosing.

The visit was part of the committee's review of CWWDA's audited financial statements for the financial years 2021/22 to 2024/25.

The Auditor-General had flagged concerns over projects captured in the agency's work-in-progress balance, which stood at Sh6.06 billion during the period under review.

The amount included Sh71.7 million budgeted for technical assistance to drill boreholes for emergency water supply outside the Mwache Dam project.

Records also showed that Sh39.8 million had been paid in advance to a contractor for emergency works intended to improve water availability in Likoni. The contract was signed on August 18, 2021.

However, a consultant's report in August 2022 indicated that only 9.4 per cent of the works had been completed after 12 months, citing slow mobilisation by the contractor.

An inspection conducted on September 30, 2022, revealed incomplete boreholes, pipeline works, electromechanical installations and chlorination units. Only five of the eight boreholes earmarked for rehabilitation had been completed, leaving the project incomplete.

The committee subsequently inspected the Likoni borehole projects and established that although the facilities were operational, nearby communities had not been connected to the water supply.

The lawmakers called on the agency to fast-track the outstanding works and ensure residents benefit from the infrastructure.

Mwache Dam is a major water infrastructure project intended to strengthen water security in the coastal region, where rising demand continues to strain existing supply systems.

Once completed, the dam is expected to increase access to clean water for households, institutions and businesses while supporting economic growth and improving livelihoods across the region.