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Kenya: State Takes Over Six City Water Systems

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The national government has taken over the management of six bulk water systems and waste water treatment facilities in Nairobi, in what could be a blow to the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC).

This comes after the water facilities, which were being managed by the firm, were designated national public waterworks, meaning their development, maintenance and management will now be done by the national government.

Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, through a gazette notice, said the management of the facilities will be taken over by Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA).

The agency is mandated to develop, maintain and manage national public waterworks under the Water Act, 2016.

It is also tasked with providing reserve capacity for the purposes of providing water when the regulatory board orders for the transfer of water service functions from a defaulting provider to another licensee.

Interestingly, NCWSC is a water provider licensed by AWWDA.

The facilities taken over include” the Ruiru II Dam and Karimenu II Dam water supply systems, Thika Dam, the Mwagu uand Kimakia intakes, the Ng’ethu Water Treatment Plant, Ruiru and Sasumua dams, the Sasumua Water Treatment Plant, the Kabete Water Treatment Plant, the Ng’ethu-Gigiri transmission pipelines, the Sasumua-Kabete transmission pipelines, the Ruiru Dam-Kabete transmission pipelines, the Kabete-Karen-Ongata Rongai pipeline and the Gigiri-CBD-Mavoko-Kitengela pipeline.

Others are the Dandora Estate Sewerage Treatment Plant and the Kariobangi Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Nairobi Dam.