Lucy Wanja is among dozens of women and men digging a shallow furrow in the rocky banks of Kithima River in Buuri in an attempt to restore...
Ms Wanja says for two weeks now, residents of her Mumoi village in Tigania West have not had water in their taps. It is nearing 3pm and the patching of the Mukaria Water Project’s badly ruptured pipes is nowhere near completion, yet Wanja and her village mates have to travel back 20 kilometres to their homes. They are not alone.
Work by a contractor undertaking the contentious Sh1 billion Isiolo Phase 2 Water Project has left thousands of residents of three wards in Meru County without water. The project is supposed to provide reliable supply to the Isiolo International Airport that is nearing completion.
The Kenya Airports Authority team says the airport is ready for use. It is believed that its commissioning by the President is being held back only by lack of reliable water supply.
Kithima River’s main source is two springs that originate from Kieni Kia Christopher (literally Christopher’s land) about two kilometres from the main Nairobi-Isiolo Highway.
As it snakes its way, tens of water intakes jut out with alarming alacrity, with pipes taking their places along the river banks on to their final destination.
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