A section of the Chogoria Water Supply project | PHOTO-Tana Water Works
By Eastern Correspondent
The national government through Tana Water Works Development Agency is set to commission an Sh574 million water project.
According to TWWDA board chairman, James Wanyaga Sh574 million Chogoria Water Supply project is ready for commissioning and supply treated domestic water to more than 27,000 Chogoria town residents and its environments within Maara constituency in Tharaka Nithi County.
Wanyaga, who led an inspection tour of the project under Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation program funded by the African Development Bank and implemented by Tana Water Works Development Agency as the implementing agency said it is a big milestone and game changer.
‘We shall consult with the stakeholders to ensure that the water is bottled and sold to earn government revenue. Major institutions in this area including PCEA Chogoria Mission Hospital and Chogoria Girls’ High School have been connected and the exercise is ongoing to ensure that every resident has access to treated water,” Wanyaga said.
Wanyaga said the site contractor has completed the work and handed over the project to TWWDA for official commissioning anticipated to take place in the near future.
The chairman suggested that tenders below Sh500 million should be given to local contractors to avoid pumping all the country’s resources into foreign countries.
Wanyaga said the government will not tolerate foreign contractors with mischievous delay tendency of projects tendered by the agency.
“We won’t condone the trend where most of the foreign contractors working on the projects supervised by the agency are not finished on time. Such delays could be tactical for them to remain in the country waiting for the advertisement of other projects so that they can apply,” Wanyaga said.
He said the agency will start investigations to unravel their contractor’s discreetness who often seek extensions of completion time on projects.
He said that the contract agreement is very clear on the time the project is supposed to take and any extension of time affects the budget due to changes in dollar value.
Wanyaga gave an example of the ongoing construction of Sh374 million Chogoria Sewerage Treatment Works expected to serve 6,840 Chogoria town residents once complete.
“The contractor for delaying the project and always seeking for extension of the completion time,” he said.
He said under the same program, the government is also constructing the Chuka Water Supply Project targeting a population of 144,089 residents in Chuka town, and Chuka Sewerage Project which will serve 17,940 people.
He said the works commenced in November 2020 and completion was expected in April 2021 but it is not yet.
