House team to push for funding of Koru-Soin dam
By KNA, November 1, 2023National Assembly Committee on Blue Economy, Water, and Sanitation has expressed concerns over the suspension of works at the 19.8 billion Koru-Soin dam in Kisumu and Kericho counties.
Members of the committee who visited the site on the border of Kisumu and Kericho to ascertain the project’s status said the move was likely to delay the project which was set to be completed in 2027.
Project Manager Eng Julius Mugun said the contractors, China Jiangxi International Kenya Limited and China Jiangxi International Economic and Cooperation Company Limited, suspended works citing delayed payments.
The project which is fully funded by the Government, he said, started on August 27, 2022 after nearly three decades of planning adding that the contractor was demanding Sh846.5 million before resuming excavation works.
“The contractor received an advance payment of Sh499 million which he has used over the last year to mobilise equipment and workers, set up a contractors’ campsite, and resident engineers camp, and geotechnical investigation for the dam site and construction materials. Excavation of the spillway is also 50 per cent done,” he said.
The government, he said, allocated Sh100 million to the project in the 2022-2023 financial year budget against a proposed Sh3 billion making it difficult for the contractor to proceed as scheduled.
Eng Mugun told the committee that the delay in disbursement of funds for the project was set to escalate the contract sum due to price adjustments and penalties.
He added that the government has not acquired the entire dam project area with over 45 per cent of the affected farmers owed Sh2.2 billion in compensation.
Eng Mugun said the project designed to control flooding in Nyando, irrigation, hydropower generation and supply of portable water in Kisumu and Kericho counties, he said must be supported to ensure it is realised within the set timeframe.
Funding from the government, he said, was not adequate to complete the project within the 60 months adding that the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA) was exploring other avenues to raise funds to complete the project.