Wajir Governor Ambassador Mohamed Abdi today commissioned Water Kiosk Desalination Reverse Osmosis System, the first of its kind in the County.
The new project is expected to provide clean and affordable water to the residents.
Saying access to safe clean water is well captured in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), the governor said the plan targets to increase water access to 80% in the next three years in line with vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“In this context, my government has been at the centre stage in leading a concerted and thorough consultations that begun early last year and finally led to a tripartite agreement of partnership signed on June 2019 between the County Government of Wajir represented by Wajir Water and Sanitation Company (WAJWASCO), Kenya Rapid Programme through Millennium Water Alliance and Boreal Light, a private partner under Public Private Partnership”, said the governor.
Ambassador Mohamed Abdi thanked all the partnering organizations that took part in the realization of today’s historic desalination plant.
He assured his government will continue to invest in the provision of clean water so as to shed off its reference as one of the ‘‘water-stressed’’ counties.
According to assessments carried by NDMA access to water has been increased to 60%, he said adding this is in tandem with the county’s vision of providing households access to piped water within a realistic distance.
“If we achieve this vision, we shall have saved 80% of the time spent on fetching water and instead use the saved time to engage in other gainful activities”, he noted.
The Governor said work in Wajir county, and indeed this country, in this era cannot be ‘‘fetching water’’ and promised to do his best to better the situation.
He hailed the County Department of Water for executing various water projects across the length and the breadth of the County that ensured no life was lost during the recent droughts in the County.
He announced that his administration is currently developing policies/county water act so that these services are streamlined effectively and WAJWASCO is structured and strengthened to meet the demands of water provision and sanitation services within the county.
The governor categorically stated that there is no natural water source that belongs to a community, a corporate organization or an individual.
“All water resources belong to the County Government of Wajir and bringing water management under one entity is one way in which we can invest our resources for more effective and reliable results”, said Governor Abdi.
He directed the water company -WAJWASCO to sell the processed water at affordable price to the people of Wajir County as well as commence a process of desalinating all viable and sustainable saline boreholes through support of his administration and other non-state actors.
The Governor also disclosed that World Bank through WAJWASCO approved Water and Sanitation Development project that shall carry out several interventions; Water Supply from Rifeit to Wajir town, Water Supply from Lanbib to Wajir town, and Water reticulation within Wajir Town.
Noting that Governments alone cannot achieve meaningful development, the Governor thanked all organizations that have in one way or the other contributed to provision of services.
He particularly thanked the Kenya Rapid programme for the installation of sensors in some boreholes to enhance monitoring, rehabilitation of some water schemes, solarization of strategic boreholes, desalination project at Wara and distribution of water purifiers for water pan users.
He also appreciated Oxfam for the installation of prepaid meters within the kiosks and Islamic relief for conducting trainings to most of the Water Users Association and construction and equipping of ten (10) shallow boreholes.
He also recognised the immense support from Aldef, Mercy corps and Wasda.
Acknowledging the tremendous progress in the provision of clean and safe water, he cited a few challenges including: vastness of the county which has lowered response time to mechanical breakdowns, high number of boreholes within the county which has increased the maintenance cost to fit the available funds, poor infrastructure in most rural areas which affects day to day operation therefore, lowering real time response schedule to the residents, insecurity in some places which has hindered operations for the fear of the hostility within the community and the mass transfers of TSC teachers paralyzing education system within the region.