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Perennial water scarcity for Gatundu South residents in Kiambu county will soon be a thing of the past after the government began the process of building a multi-million shilling Thiririka Dam.

Set to be constructed at Rooi, Kagunyi, Kaftiti, Munyuini, Irigu and Kihara villages, the water project that is funded through a grant from Korean government is hoped to give a permanent solution to villagers in the vast constituency who are hit by frequent shortage of the commodity especially during dry seasons.

It is estimated that the project will cost between Sh5 billion and Sh9 billion depending on various construction factors.

Already, residents, in a meeting with Athi Water Works Development Agency engineers okayed the contractor to conduct intensive soil sampling of their land and later laboratory analysis to ascertain the likelihood of the project’s success.

Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe (right, pictured) told journalists that the project, should it materialise, is projected to produce 33 million litres of water on a daily basis.

The water body, he said, has been designed to only pump water to his constituents unlike other dams that often supply water in other parts of the country.

\“Once we complete this dam, water shortage in Gatundu South will be a past tense. We don’t have a water project here that feeds Gatundu South alone but with completion of this, our people will be able to get enough water for use at home,” said the MP.

To avoid the compensation squabbles that have hit other projects derailing timely execution, Kagombe urged the National Lands Commission (NLC) to keenly ensure that all affected locals are paid on time.
“We have agreed with the affected farmers and they have okayed the engineers to undertake the feasibility studies. We don’t expect any rows in this project but we have urged NLC to thoroughly compensate the affected before they move to conduct any excavation works on their land,” added the MP.

Thiririka Dam, once constructed, will be among the 100 mega dams that President William Ruto’s administration is riding on to mitigate drought in the region and ensure there’s enough water for domestic and irrigation purposes. The government says the dam will be used to conserve water for use in homes and farms during dry seasons.

Residents who spoke to journalists expressed optimism that the project will turn around the area’s economic status through enhanced infrastructural developments, opening up the villages for other investments and creating job opportunities for locals.

They however upheld the need for the government to carefully ensure that the compensated prudently use their money to better their lives by among other things buy land elsewhere and build permanent houses.