Amatsi Khumiliango taking shape as water agency commits to actualise Barasa pledge

Kakamega residents will soon be connected to piped water as part of Governor Fernandes Barasa’s “Amatsi Khumiliango” (water at every doorstep) promise.

The Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (KACWASCO) Board Chairperson, Boaz Bulimu, while addressing the annual stakeholders’ forum, highlighted in the Consumer Summit Report 2024/2025 edition that 78 per cent (432,284) of the urban and peri-urban population are connected to clean, safe and quality water, with 14 per cent of the population within its coverage area being offered sewerage services.

He stated that despite several challenges, the company remains committed to ensuring that all households within its supply areas in the county are connected to clean water and sanitation services.

With the county population estimated at 1,867,579 according to the 2019 census report, the Kakamega County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2023–2027 aims to increase the population using improved water sources from 61.1 per cent to 90 per cent, which will also see improved sanitation services.

The chairman said their main mandate was to ensure that consumers take ownership of water infrastructure to avoid vandalism and theft of meters and pipes.

“We want our customers to own the water, as the service is about them. We want them to be part of our policing to safeguard the water from illegal connections and other shortcomings. With them feeling that they are part of our team, they will be able to monitor and report such incidents to us for appropriate action to be taken,” he said.

He said the annual customer summit organised by their regulator, the Water Services Regulatory Authority (WASREB), was meant to give customers an opportunity to raise issues and highlight areas that need improvement in service delivery.

“One of our core values in KACWASCO is to be customer-focused, where we target and value the customers we serve within the county. In ensuring that we meet the governor’s manifesto of water at every doorstep, we need to listen to our customers’ needs and wants and actualise them,” he said.

Bulimu added that it was important to engage customers and obtain feedback to help improve service delivery across their supply regions, including Kakamega, Mumias, Shinyalu, Malava and Lumakanda.

He assured Malava residents that with the establishment of the municipality, the company has installed a 50,000-litre water storage tank to serve locals and has already embarked on last-mile connectivity to remaining customers.

“Already, the last-mile connectivity programme has seen 1,380 new connections, further expanding our customer base and enhancing water coverage within the stipulated service area,” Bulimu said.

The chairman also assured residents that once the ongoing water works by the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency are completed and handed over to KACWASCO, the company will continue to supply more water to customers.

He noted that despite challenges such as billing and revenue collection issues arising from a high number of consumers with outstanding water bills, frequent pipe destruction due to road works leading to service interruptions and increased repair costs, and high non-revenue water (NRW) levels currently at 37 per cent caused by leakages, bursts, illegal connections and ageing infrastructure, the company has recorded significant progress in expanding its service base.

“To address these challenges, we have decided to strengthen our billing accuracy and customer engagement, intensify revenue and debt collection and recovery measures, and encourage our customers to embrace smart metering technology to improve billing accuracy, minimise estimated bills and enhance real-time consumption monitoring, while promoting transparency in billing,” he said.

On handling pipe damage during road construction, the company is enhancing coordination with road contractors to ensure proper mapping and marking of underground infrastructure and to adopt proactive response mechanisms to minimise service disruptions.

KACWASCO has also focused on the protection and conservation of its water sources and riparian lands. It has partnered with Women in Water and Nature Conservation (WANC) to engage in conservation efforts aimed at protecting and increasing water supply and quality, with enhanced resilience to climate change.

The company has also taken the initiative to advocate for policies, knowledge management systems and funding to support water service providers in conserving their water catchments. In addition, it is working to raise awareness on the impact of climate change on the environment and water resources, while supporting conservation activities that improve the socio-economic conditions of local communities through better land management and economic opportunities.

Community and stakeholder engagement remains vital, as agriculture and cattle grazing have been identified as the main human activities posing a threat to the River Yala water source.