Sh11b lost yearly through water leaks, says Wahome
By Harrison.Kivisu, June 20, 2023The country loses Sh11 billion annually on non-revenue water, Water Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has said.
Non-Revenue Water (NRW) is water which is lost before it reaches the customer. Losses can be through leaks, or apparent losses such as through theft or metering inaccuracies.
Speaking in Mombasa, Wahome asked county governors to rein in water agencies that continue to lose the commodity.
“Non-revenue water has risen to 45 per cent, this is about 205 million cubic meters, translating to about Sh11 billion lost annually, this is unacceptable,” said Wahome.
She called on sector players to join the ongoing campaign against water theft launched by her ministry in conjunction with WASREB, dubbed ‘Operation Lipa Maji.”
The CS further accused county bosses of appointing their political cronies to head the water agencies in their counties at the expense of qualified personnel.
She said the government is implementing numerous projects to attain its goal of universal water access by 2030 adding that county governments have an obligation of ensuring the adoption of new systems and innovations.
Service providers
“We have given you goodwill but remember, but remember enforcement is upon you, we want to see you adopt new systems and innovations,” said Wahome.
Among the projects include Karemenu 11, Mavoko drinking water project, Thina, Yamo, Thwake and Mwache dams.
Wahome asked water service providers to embrace emerging technologies to reduce water wastage and reduce the non-revenue water burden.
The CS made the remarks during the ongoing Kenya Water and Sanitation International Conference and Exhibition 2023 that was graced by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua among other dignitaries.
While addressing the conference, Taita Taveta governor and chair of the water committee at the Council of Governors (CoG), Andrew Mwadime said counties have improved the management of water since the service was devolved.
On his part, Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya outlined the government’s plan for the management of water resources stating that a marine spatial plan is underway to streamline the sector.
Blue economy
Mvurya said the ministry will launch a national blue economy strategy aimed at spurring the sector.
“The ministry is in the process of developing a marine spatial plan and a national blue economy strategy so as to ensure the proper governing of the sector,” said Mvurya.
“We are proposing to have improvements on sewer treatment, the government is also planning to modernise fish landing infrastructure as well as deploy sanitation facilities to maintain a clean environment,” said Mvurya expressing his commitment to spur the blue economy sector.