Construction of Umaa Dam in Kitui County is ongoing well after commencements of works early this year. The Authority is keen and committed to ensure the project is complete on time. Speaking during an inspection tour of the project, the Chair of the Strategy and Technical Board Committee Dr. Kipseng’eret Koros said the project is a key priority to the Authority noting that with the support of the parent Ministry of Water and key stakeholders especially in terms of funding, the project will be complete as scheduled.
Ag. Chief Executive Officer Eng. Julius Mugun said the project will be a game changer in the county once complete as it will provide water for domestic and irrigation use. He noted that the residents of Kitui are eagerly waiting for the dam completion given that it had earlier stalled for over ten years.
During the visit, the Authority’s team paid a courtesy call to the Governor of Kitui Dr. Julius Malombe. The Governor thanked the Authority for prioritizing the project noting that it is key to the county which is currently grappling with water shortage. He added that some areas of the county have high agricultural potential hence with the availability of water, it shall improve livelihoods through the social-economic benefits.
Present were the Authority’s Directors Amina Mohamed and Léonard Maritim, Kitui County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto, In charge of Construction Department Eng. Fred Machine, Resident engineer Apphia Kaluku, Communication manager, Joyce Jepkemboi among other staff.
Umaa dam is one of the five initial Vision 2030 flagship projects located along river Nzeu downstream of the confluence of Mukoleyka and Muvati rivers, about 170 kilometres from Nairobi City and 7kms Northeast of Kitui town. With a storage capacity of 1.228 MM3, and 3,975m3/day, the dam is set to serve a population of over 75,000 people in Kitui County.
The project components comprise of the Dam embankment, spillway, water treatment works, Raw water main pipeline, storage tanks among others.
Some of the key benefits of the dam include; Increased access to domestic water that will reduce travel distance and time wasted in search of water, Reduced incidences of waterborne diseases, improvement of the population’s overall health, downstream flood mitigation, improved living standards for the area residents, employment creation during the construction phase and opportunities or permanent employment during the operation phase. Additionally, the project will result in growth of secondary businesses during the construction phase, e.g.; supply of spare parts for machinery to the contractor and private individuals, supply and maintenance of furniture, office equipment and stationery, food business, public transport and hospitality services among others.
Nationally, the project supports the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) in that water from the project will be used for irrigation and multi-purposes uses thus contributing immensely to food security.
