State-county row stalls Sh750m water project

A multimillion-shilling donor-funded water project in Taita Taveta has stalled due to a standoff between a national agency and the county over who should implement it.

County Water and Sanitation Executive Granton Mwandawiro confirmed that the Sh750 million project has stalled following wrangles.

Taita Taveta Water and Sewerage Company (Tavevo) and the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) have differed on who should oversee its implementation.

Tavevo is a water distribution firm owned by the county government, while CWWDA is a national body that distributes bulk water to the six counties in the Coast region.

Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime insists that the project should be implemented by the county, as it was the one that solicited funds from the donors.

“The county wrote the proposal for funding of the project in 2023, and we are wondering why the National Treasury channelled the funds through the CWWDA instead of Tavevo.

We understand the scope of work more than the CWWDA,” said Mwadime, adding that the county government has the capacity to implement the project.

“Contrary to claims, we also have the capacity, enough engineers and, more so, the project management committee in place to implement the project,” said Mwandawiro.

Frustrating devolution

He accused the national government of sabotaging the project, adding that water was a devolved function, and the national government should stop frustrating devolution.

The county had designed the construction of a huge 500,000-litre tank in the Lesesia area to supply water to Jipe and Taveta town, including the whole sub-county.

“The governor has written to the National Treasury expressing the county’s frustrations in implementing the project, and we are still waiting for a comprehensive response from the government on the way forward. For us, the project is important, as it will adequately solve the teething water problems in the whole county before we embark on other areas worst hit by perennial water shortages, like Voi, Taita, and Mwatate sub-counties,” stated Mwandawiro yesterday.

CWWDA director Judith Wabosha said the agency had a mandate to implement water projects in counties. She said CWWDA was working with communities to manage their water projects.

The director said there are many water boreholes that are not working after the county administration failed to maintain them.

“We have several boreholes which are not working after the county government failed to maintain them, besides paying water and electricity bills. Let the county government revive the water boreholes and stop playing petty politics at the expense of development,” Wabosha responded.

She said CWWDA has done a lot as far as its mandate is concerned, and nobody should blame it.
“We are dealing with the local community after the county administration failed to revive the stalled boreholes constructed by the agency,” she stated.

She added: “It is not fair for the county to continue demanding mega water projects like the one in question and Mzima Springs that they cannot manage,” noted Wabosha.

Mwadime called for the establishment of county water firms to provide water provision in the six coastal counties.