A section of Maragua residents now want the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) to keep off wrangles involving two water companies in Murang’a County.
Speaking at a public baraza held in the Muchagara area, residents criticized WASREB for instructing Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company (Muwasco) to cease its services in the Maragua area.
Muwasco, headquartered in Murang’a town, commenced water services in the region last year with the approval of Governor Irungu Kang’ata, following the failure of Murang’a South Water and Sanitation Company (Muswasco) to comply with a Wasreb directive requiring water firms to transfer ownership to county governments by July of the previous year.
The protracted feud between the two companies stems from the construction of the Sh800 million Maragua dam by the national government, exacerbating tensions over service boundaries. Positioned in Maragua constituency, the dam aims to provide 15,000 cubic meters of water daily for domestic and irrigation purposes in Maragua town, the semi-arid Maragua Ridge, Kambiti, and Saba Saba areas.
The disputes intensified with the Murang’a Municipal Board designating Muwasco as the water provider for the Maragua area, asserting its capability to meet the required water volumes. Muswasco opposed this decision, contending that it had advocated for the dam’s construction to enhance its coverage.
In response to the ongoing disputes, Wasreb’s acting CEO, Julius Itunga, wrote to the county government on January 15, 2024, urging both companies to continue their services within their licensed areas. The letter emphasized that any expansion into unauthorized service areas would violate the law, making the water service providers accountable for non-compliance.
While Wasreb invited the managing directors of both companies to a consultation meeting on January 30 in Nairobi to discuss regulatory compliance and review service areas, residents voiced their frustration over the board’s apparent silence during their water scarcity challenges.
Since Muwasco’s entry into the area, residents noted significant improvements in water accessibility, with numerous households now connected to the water supply. Richard Gakuru, a resident, highlighted the community’s efforts in initiating the Maragua Ridge-Kambiti community water project in 2003, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Gakuru expressed disappointment with Muswasco’s inability to expand water connections and its accumulating debts with the Water Resources Authority.
The sentiments of the residents were echoed by Jane Wairimu, who attested to the positive impact of Muwasco’s operations on her daily life. Murang’a MP Mary Waithera voiced her support for Muwasco, criticizing Muswasco’s historical failures and questioning why Wasreb had not taken action against it. She urged Governor Irungu Kang’ata to abstain from the consultation meeting, emphasizing the need for Wasreb to review service boundaries promptly.
MP Waithera further emphasized the devolved nature of water services and called on Wasreb to refrain from interfering with the county government’s operations. She urged the board to focus on boundary reviews to enable water firms to operate efficiently and expressed residents’ opposition to any fines imposed on Muwasco for expanding its services into Maragua. In December of the previous year, Muwasco, in collaboration with the county, commissioned a project channeling water from Kayahwe River to benefit over 20,000 residents in Kambiti and Maragua Ridge. The project represented an investment of Sh35 million.
