The project within the vast Delamere Farm is being undertaken by the County Government of Nakuru and Naivasha Water and Sanitation Company.
Over 150 households are expected to be connected to clean, fluoride-free, and safe drinking water.
The families were formerly squatters on the Lord Delamere Farm where they stayed for 60 years before moving to their current location a few years ago.
Lakeview MCA Simon Wanyoike Wanango said the project will cost Sh3 million. Of the amount, the county government will contribute Sh2 million.
“These families, whose members were once workers at Lord Delamere farm, have faced all manner of challenges, including lack of safe drinking water. That is why this project is timely,” Wanango said as water pipes were delivered.
He added: “These families have endured untold suffering for many years and this water project comes as a major relief for them.”
The MCA claimed some traders, keen on evicting the families and grabbing the land on which the slum sits, blocked the only borehole the residents had been relying on. The traders are also said to have destroyed water pipes that supplied the area.
The ward representative said local youth would be hired to dig trenches for laying the water pipes in the project that is expected to take two weeks.
“For many years, local politicians have used the shortage of water in this village to get votes and do nothing after being elected. We are happy that this problem will now be resolved once and for all,” said the MCA.
Joseph Maina, the local community chairman, said residents buy water from vendors at a high cost. Their other source of water has been River Karati, but it is unreliable because it is seasonal.
