Water scarcity hits Kajiado’s major towns as boreholes dry up

With a steadily rising population, Nairobi’s Kajiado is experiencing the worst water shortage in decades following a prolonged devastating drought.

With a population of 154,436 people in 2019 as provided by the Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kitengela town has surpassed 200,000 people.

Some 12 private and 4 county water boreholes that used to sustain the supply of salty water to the growing town of Kitengela have closed shop.

A few ones, that still have little water are rationing their supplies to balance between selling to the vendors and the estates they are supplying water to.  

Most of the private boreholes, about 99 per cent, have been sunk in housing estates, and tenants are now moving like nomads from one estate to the other to secure rental houses with water.

The boreholes that still have water sell a 20-litre jerrycan at Sh5 to water vendors, who supply the same to individual homes using carts between Sh15 to Sh20.

The public water kiosks that have now dried up were set up following the intervention of former president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 to mitigate the shortage in this dusty town of Kitengela.

Kajiado county government was to spend Sh20 million on eight kiosks. The Nairobi Water and Sewage Company were required to re-route the main pipeline at Kyangombe, within Kitengela town, to serve the kiosks.

But in February 2019, the Ministry of Water and Sanitation banned all water-selling companies in Kitengela and Athi River in a bid to protect residents from cartels that used to mint millions from thirsty locals.

This saw dozens of high-end homesteads within EPZ estates supplied by EPZA disconnected to date.

Only four of the proposed eight kiosks were completed, but they have all dried up. 

In the last three months, the kiosks have not dispensed water. This has seen private vendors take advantage of the shortage to sell water at Sh20 per 20-litre jerrycan.

Manyuria Kamamia, who operates two donkey carts to supply water to his clients in Kitengela estates told the Star on Saturday that 12 major boreholes have dried up and a few still operational have started rationing water.

“I used to make Sh19,500 every day in the sale of water to my customers until December 2022 when the boreholes dried up. I am now Sh5,850 when I wake up at 5 am,” said Kamamia.

Kamamia said he is forced every day to queue at water kiosks with his two donkeys for between 2 to 3 hours to be able to get water.

Before the shortage of water started, Kamamia would queue for at least 20 minutes before filling up all his jerrycans.

"It's common to find more than 100 jerrycans in the queue at a single kiosk manned by a few individuals. You have to wait for them to be served,” said Kamamia.

When governor Joseph Lenku was first elected in 2017, he promised to sort out the problem of water and even claimed that his administration was focused and laying elaborate plans to ensure the people of Kitengela have a constant water supply.

Nothing has changed since then as the EPZA locked out Kitengela from supplying fresh water from Nairobi.

In Isinya, Kajiado town, Kiserian, Ngong and Ongata Rongai, the story is the same - no water.

On Thursday, this week, while speaking in Loitokitok, governor Lenku warned those sitting and farming on riparian lands in Kajiado South, Kajiado North and Kajiado West sub-counties that he will take action against them.

Previously, water from the Nol-Turesh River in Loitokitok use to supply the towns of Loitokitok, Emali, Sultan Hamud, Mavoko and some parts of Kitengela before politics came in.

When Lenku was elected in 2017, much of the treated water from the Nol-Turesh River was diverted into farms along the Emali-Loitokitok road.

Some of the water was diverted for livestock and domestic use. No one was paying for the same.

The Nol-Turesh Water and Sewerage Company were frustrated as it could sometimes operate without staff salaries for months as well-connected farmers refused to pay their water bills.

There are two water lines from Nolturesh to Emali and Sultan Hamud towns. The new one which has been vandalised most is the one that goes to Emali town.

The other one was abandoned many years for unknown reasons.

Water experts, including the former county water minister, Michael Semera, say the water from Nol-Turesh has the capacity to feed the entire Kajiado, Makueni, Machakos, Nairobi and Kiambu counties.

Semera said vandalism along the water pipes from Nol-Turesh has taken place, adding that if the national government could fund the laying of new pipes and protect the same, more than five counties can benefit from the Mt Kilimanjaro water that feeds Nol-Turesh River.