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GOVERNOR LENKU DISSOLVES FOUR WATER COMPANIES, FORMS GIANT SERVICE PROVIDER.

Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has dissolved all the existing water service providers in the County and formed a giant outfit to replace them.
The dissolved water and sewerage companies are Oloolaiser in Kajiado North, Nolturesh/ Oloitokitok in Kajiado South, OlKejuado and Oldonyo Orok in Kajiado Central.
They will be replaced by the Kajiado Water and Sewerage Company Ltd which was incorporated this week. This means the stage is set to collapse the existing companies and leave the new company as the sole provider of water services in the County.
Governor Lenku has taken this move after the companies were found to be unsustainable with some experiencing staff go slows over non- payment of salaries while others were riddled with graft and loss of water revenue.
“It was untenable to achieve our desired water access goals with several small companies that have demonstrated inability to handle their operational costs. Some have chronic human resource challenges and they were unable to properly serve Kajiado residents,” Governor Lenku said.
He added, “We have realized a grave element of mismanagement with some having more than 70 per cent non-revenue water. This inefficiency has been costly to Kajiado County which has been declared a water scarcity County. We had to take drastic measures to salvage the water situation.,” he added.
The Governor has consequently announced a new board to manage the new company. Those named to the board are former Kenya Airways Managing Director Titus Naikuni, former Water Permanent Secretary Prof George Khorda, Florence Waigango, Charles Masangira, Catherine Mumbi Githinji, Agatha Solitei, Samson Kerea, Christine Sereya, and Stephen Karanja.
The formation of the new company leaves the limping Nolturesh-Loitokitok Water and Sewerage company headquartered at Sultan Hamud town and is jointly owned by Kajiado, Makueni and Machakos Counties in limbo. The company has been embroiled in a controversy over the water that is drawn from Mt Kilimanjaro but most of which is supplied to Makueni and Machakos counties.
By revamping the water sector in the County, Governor Lenku seeks to push water coverage in the County to 60 per cent down from the current 35 per cent.
Last month, Governor Lenku increased the water budget from an average of Sh 300 Million in previous years to Sh 570 Million, further demonstrating his keenness to improve provision of clean water in the county.