Water Principal Secretary Joseph Irungu is under fire for allegedly triggering a water crisis threatening to paralyse firms in the Athi River export processing zones.
The Star has established that the Central Organisation of Trade Unions and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers have separately written to government agencies. Cotu has threatened industrial action.
Cotu claims Irungu, with the aid of the provincial administration, disconnected water in the EP zones, causing a crisis and threatening 20,000 employees with job losses.
“If this disruption of water supply exercise in the zone is not stopped, workers will be left with no alternative but to demonstrate to send a clear message to the public, the world and the government on what is going on,” Cotu's first vice chairman Joel Chebii wrote to Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
But Irungu on Sunday told the Star they are simply streamlining the supply of water to ensure residents of Kitengela get a share of the scarce commodity.
He said the EPZA firms currently receive 1,600 cubic metres of water, which will be increased to 3,000 if the rains come.
"Instead of them lumping accusations, they [Cotu] need to ask for the mter reading," Irungu said. He said it's not the EPZA's primary mandate to sell water.
In the letter copied to Head of Civil Service Joseph Kinyua, Cotu accused the PS of lack of consultation and said no new investors can establish bases in Kenya under "such a difficult work environment".
Manufacturing is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four legacy projects.
“Countries like Ethiopia, Lesotho and Mauritius have very favourable business environments [providing services] such as free water supply and low electricity tariffs which will attract investors there,” the Cotu vice chair said.
KAM chief executive officer Phyllis Wakiaga in a letter to Trade CS Peter Munya said the water crisis has compelled manufacturers to buy the commodity at five times the rate of the Export Processing Zone Authority.
“We would like to bring to your attention a persistent water crisis within the Athi River EP zone that houses a significant number of export-oriented firms, with the majority being apparel manufacturers,” she said.
"The water supply challenge is increasing the unit of manufacture within the companies and threatening the sustainability of manufacturing within the zones that is supposed to have a well-functioning utility supply to support export-oriented manufacturing.”
The association has requested an urgent meeting with Munya.
Irungu has insisted that the mandate of giving water to Kenyans is vested in his ministry and cautioned the EPZA against selling any water.
For years, the authority has been buying bulk water from the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company for supply to factories; the rest is supplied to other customers, including those in Kitengela.
“It’s by law, by the Constitution and that is what we are reiterating and telling anybody else that is selling water to Kenyans, because we have come across a situation where our colleagues in the EPZA are selling water to residents of Kitengela,” Irungu said when he visited Kitengela.