Kenya: Sh640million Water Project for Machakos, Makueni

The government of Japan has partnered with Kenya to ensure rural communities in arid and semi arid areas get access to clean water through a project dubbed Rural Water Supply. The project funded by Japan under the Grant Aid Scheme will be implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the ministry of water and irrigation.

The project for Rural Water Supply (Phase 2) is a groundwater project that commenced in May 2012 and is being implemented in Machakos and Makueni counties. In Machakos County it covers 32 communities that are in Machakos, Masinga, Mwala, Yatta, Kangundo and Kathiani districts while in Makueni county it covers 26 communities namely Makueni,Katghonzweni,Mbooni east,Nzaui,Mukaa and Kibwezi.

Phase 1 of the project was successfully completed in Mwingi and Kitui districts in March 2008 with drilling and equipping 58 community boreholes in which Sh500 million was provided as grant aid by Japan government.

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony at Yumbuni secondary school in Yatta Constituency, Machakos County on Wednesday, Water minister Charity Ngilu lauded the government of Japan for its efforts to eradicate poverty in Kenya through provision of water and irrigation projects.

Ngilu said without water there cannot be any meaningful development in any community adding that it is every Kenyan constitutional right to access clean and safe water.