Kenya: Mombasa Residents Block Main Highway to Protest Water Shortage

Hundreds of Bangladesh residents took to the streets to protest over acute water shortages in Mombasa.

They blocked the main highway to the city, leaving hundreds of motorists in a traffic jam.

“We are protesting over acute water shortages in Mombasa. We are suffering as taxpayers while politicians continue to live as kings,” said Carlone Auma.

Police used teargas to disperse the protesters.

Jane Apiyo claimed water cartels control water supplies.

“Mombasa Cement has been supplying us with fresh water for months now but the firm was denied water at Mazeras Station,” she said.

“Why allow water bowsers to supply water to residents at a fee? We want the firm to be allowed to help us, we are poor.”

She said the shortages began two weeks ago.

For a week now thousands of residents of Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi have been grappling with shortages after the Mzima pipeline was shut down for repairs.

A section of the pipeline had burst at Udongo Mwekundu in Tsavo East National Park.

“We would like to inform our esteemed customers that there is a shutdown on the Mzima pipeline to facilitate repairs of a burst pipe section inside Tsavo East National Park,” said Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (Mowassco).

Seventy-five percent of freshwater to the three counties is supplied by the Mzima spring using the pipeline.

Mowassco said normal supply would be interrupted.

“This will affect mostly the wider west mainland areas including Miritini, Mikindani, Jomvu, Magongo and Changamwe,” the company said on its Facebook page.

The repairs were expected to take at least 72 hours. But residents attributed water shortages to cartels.

“For almost five months, I have not seen water flowing from my tap at National Housing Estate in Changamwe yet I am billed Sh2,669 monthly. What is this money for? I buy water from vendors at Sh20 per 20 litres, this is very unfair,” said Harrison Kariuki.

But the Coast Water Works Development Agency explained that the 220km Mzima pipeline, laid in 1953, could longer effectively supply water to a growing population because it is old, dilapidated and prone to leaks and bursts.