Residents of Kanduti in Kitui county have been saved several hours of walk in search of water following the commissioning of a Sh5 million borehole.
The 300-foot newly drilled borehole is set to serve over 3,000 residents around the area, who previously depended on a seasonal river.
The centrally located borehole will be easily accessible to the Kanduti community and is expected to supply water to various facilities including a polytechnic, a high school, a primary school, a public health centre and the area chief’s residence.
The project was established as part of the second season of the betPawa Dream Maker campaign.
Dream Maker is a campaign by betting brand betPawa aimed at helping people realise their aspirations that are helpful to the wider community as part of giving back to society.
It offers people from all walks of life the opportunity to bring their BIGGEST dreams to life by submitting their proposals to betPawa either online through the Dream Maker website or offline whereby the brand’s team tours various areas to hear people’s dreams.
“It takes a very special person to think about the community. I thank Sammy for making it all about his community with such a transformative dream. We are honoured to actualise this dream for the people of Kanduti,” said betPawa’s Country Marketing Manager Simon Mwangi.
The programme encourages Kenyans with valid dreams to apply for support.
“We are asking Kenyans to work with us to actualise their dreams. We are supporting education financing dreams, business or community initiatives like this one," he said.
“You do not have to bet to qualify for support. We are purely giving back to the community.”
The campaign, which started in 2021, has to date received over 10,000 proposals outlining various dreams in the areas of sports, business and social projects.
Besides drilling the borehole, the project entailed the construction of a structure to support a 10,000-litre water tank, pumps and piping system as well as solar panels to power the pump.
Redeemed Gospel Church Pastor Sammy Mwanza, described the water project as a win for residents.
He said the area has endured water scarcity for years.
Mwanza said for a long time, he held a dream to solve the perennial water scarcity in Kanduti.
“This is a win for the Kanduti community. I am grateful to the entire BetPawa team and everyone involved in making this dream come true,” said Sammy Mwanza.
Mwanza wanted to set up a borehole for his community but had not been able to raise enough funds to get the project done.
In celebration of the new borehole, Mwanza was gifted 70 seedlings by the community toplant, as part of efforts to conserve the environment and attract rain in the area.
The borehole is located at the Kanduti Redeemed Gospel Church compound and was commissioned on Thursday.
Chuluni ward administrator Alex Kilunda said the long walks in search of water have left many women with back complications.
“The long search for water has caused serious problems in many families. It has wrecked many homes because women are unavailable to their husbands,” Kilunda said.
Frida Charles, a resident, said her family had to move from their ancestral home to a place near a water source.
She praised Betpawa for drilling the borehole.
When Betpawa responded to his proposal, he knew the dream had become a reality.
Betpawa country marketing manager Simon Mwangi said the borehole is part of the firm’s Dream Maker CSR programme.
Betpawa head of PR Lola Okulo said the Dream Maker CSR initiative is currently running in Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania.
The project came with a solar power component for pumping water and a 10,000 litre capacity water tank.
MCA Mathew Vuthi said the project will serve the local primary school and secondary schools, a village polytechnic and a dispensary.
He cautioned residents against vandalising or stealing components of the borehole.
“I would like to urge all community members to own this project. We must protect the water tank, the solar panels or even the pipes from theft,” he said.