Kenya to construct US $17m water treatment plant in Kericho County

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Kenya has announced plans to construct a US $17m water treatment plant in Kericho County with the aim of curbing perennial water shortage in the county.

The County County Governor Paul Chepkwony made the announcement and said that the bank has issued out conditions to the Kericho Water and Sanitation Company (Kewasco) to provide 10 acres for the construction of the water treatment and distribution plant.

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Water crisis

“When the water engineers drew up the design, the site at Duka Moja, which was under Unilever tea plantation, proved to be the most ideal location for the  plant. This is because the point allows water to flow by gravity and is the cheapest option,” said Governor Chepkwony.

The water plant dubbed ‘Kimugu Water Treatment Plant’ is being funded by Germany KfW Development Bank. It is set for completion in April 2021. According to Governor Paul Chepkwony, the project will benefit more than 200,000 households in Ainamoi and Belgut constituencies once complete.

“We have the intake works which requires reinforced concrete structure across the existing River Kimugu where we are going to abstract the water. The water will be conveyed through gravity via steel pipes for 7.7km to the water treatment plant,” said the Governor.

The lack of clean and safe drinking water in Kenya is a very serious problem, as there are more than 1.6 million children under the age of five who die every year in the world. This equates to the death of a child every 19 seconds.