President William Ruto has commissioned the Sh8.4 billion Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project in Kisumu County, promising to expand access to clean water and improve sewerage capacity in the lakeside city.
Ruto launched the project in the Nyamasaria area of Kisumu on Monday, September 14, during the second day of his four-day development tour of Nyanza.
Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o was among the leaders accompanying the President during his Kisumu engagements. Ruto had also been accompanied on his Nyanza tour by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.
The Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project is designed to address water supply and wastewater challenges that have affected Kisumu as the city expands.
Ruto said the Sh8.4 billion investment would include a major sewerage system in Nyamasaria and increase the city's capacity to handle wastewater.
“We are starting a major project and sewer system in Nyamasaria. It will cost Sh8.4 billion to ensure that the issues of sewerage are addressed,” Ruto said.
The President said the programme would be implemented in phases, with the first phase launched on Monday and the second already under way.
“Within this programme, we are increasing water coverage. Phase One is what we have launched, Phase Two is going on, and Phase Three we will announce next week to ensure that Kisumu City has water and sewerage,” he said.
The project is expected to connect an additional 53,000 households to reliable water supplies and 23,000 households to sewerage services. It will also reduce water losses by 27 percent and improve water and sanitation services at major health facilities.
The investment builds on an existing Lake Victoria water and sanitation programme that has been implemented by the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency with financing from the French Development Agency, European Investment Bank, European Union and the Kenyan government.
The agency previously put the cost of the broader Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Programme at about Sh7.5 billion.
Its scope included rehabilitation of the Kisat and Nyalenda wastewater facilities, construction of a new wastewater treatment facility near Otonglo and expansion of water and sewer networks. The programme was initially designed to benefit an additional 350,000 people in Kisumu City.
The need for improved sanitation is particularly significant in Nyamasaria. In February, Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir told Parliament that River Nyamasaria and River Kibos were severely polluted, with raw sewage from industries and residential developments entering the waterways.
He called for urgent efforts to rehabilitate the rivers and protect Lake Victoria.
Beyond water infrastructure, Ruto launched construction of the 12-kilometre Rabuor–Chiga Road in Nyando, another project expected to improve movement across the county.
The road has a long history of delays. In 2016, Parliament recorded that the Rabuor–Chiga–Kibos road was in poor condition and frequently became impassable during rainy seasons.
It was described as an important link for sugarcane and rice farmers, connecting Kibos Sugar Factory and the Lake Basin Development Authority rice mills to the Ahero–Kisumu Road.
The Kisumu County government later said the Chiga–Rabuor road had been tendered by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority for upgrading to bitumen standard, following a visit by Governor Nyong’o and county officials to State House.
The county maintained that the road would improve mobility, reduce transport costs and strengthen access to markets.
Ruto said Sh20 billion had been allocated to road projects in Kisumu County, with about 270 kilometres of new roads being constructed within Kisumu City.
The President's visit comes against a broader push to improve transport infrastructure around the Lake Victoria basin. In March, Ruto announced plans for a 500-kilometre Lake Victoria Ring Road linking Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Migori. The project has been discussed for more than a decade, with earlier estimates putting its cost at Sh41.6 billion before the scope and design were expanded.
The Kisumu projects therefore combine two longstanding infrastructure challenges: reliable water and wastewater management in a rapidly expanding city, and road connectivity for communities and agricultural producers.
Ruto is scheduled to continue his Nyanza tour in Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori, where he is expected to inspect, launch and commission additional government projects.