Kilifi hit by week-long water crisis after agency cuts supply over Sh3 billion debt

Kilifi County has been hit by water shortages for a week after the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) disconnected the supply over a Sh3 billion unpaid bill.

According to Kilifi Water County Executive Committee (CEC) member Mr Omar Said, the affected sub-counties are Ganze, Kilifi North, Kilifi South, Kaloleni, and Rabai.

CWWDA is a national agency that supplies water to Kilifi Mariakani Water and Sewerage Company Limited (KIMAWASCO) and Malindi Water and Sewerage Company (MAWASCO).

Omar said KIMAWASCO and MAWASCO, owned by the county, owe CWWDA a new bill of Sh1.5 billion and a Sh1.5 billion inherited from the defunct Kilifi municipality.

"The two water service providers owe CWWDA sh1.5 billion because the locals are yet to settle their bills. We also have another Sh1.5 billion bill accrued before devolution,' said Omar.

He said they were surprised that the water supply was disconnected despite an existing payment plan with the CWWDA on how to settle the bill.

We are also paying our arrears. We are paying a total of around Sh10 million monthly in arrears," he said, adding that they have engaged CWWA to resolve the issue.

He said the county hopes that supply will normalise in the next three days.

Meanwhile, Omar said Mwasaco loses 32 per cent of non-revenue water, while Kimwasco loses 49 per cent monthly.

"This is being contributed to by illegal connections and vandalism of water infrastructure. "But we are working with the police, and we have arrested several people," he said.

He has also said the county needs support from the national government to implement a solarisation programme to reduce reliance on electricity for the water pumping stations in Baricho.

On Wednesday, residents in Bamba gathered at the KIMAWASCO offices in Bamba ward to complain about taps running dry in their villages for days.

 Hospitals, hotels, and national and county government offices, as well as a number of other institutions, are affected.

"For the last week, we have not had a single drop to drink. Patients admitted to hospitals have been forced to buy water from outside, which is not economical," said Katana Lewa, a local. 

Katana says they have been forced to buy a 20-litre jerrycan at sh50 from Water Buzzers and boda bodas traders.

"Our household needs five jerrycans every day for bathing, washing and other household use. This is a lot of money for us to spend every day," Kadzo added.

The locals are blaming the local leadership for failing to address the issue. They have vowed to pitch camp at the office of their area MCA on Friday until a solution is arrived at.

"We are going to continue the protest until they address the issue. "We will rest tomorrow and continue on Friday," said Anderson Kalama.

Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) Chief Executive Officer Hamoud Mguza said the agency disconnected water as the firms have not paid since May.

"It's not water rationing. We just decided to close the taps. It will continue that way until the bill is paid. After they pay the new bill, we will then negotiate a new payment plan," he said.

Mguza also revealed that the agency supplies water to Water Service Providers (WSPs) at a tariff of sh34 per cubic meter.

'We only charge them a tariff of sh34 for every cubic metre, which is only for cost recovery and not for profit-making. We are not here to make a profit as a public institution but to ensure that the citizens get the service in the cheapest way possible," he said.

Mr Mguza said that part of the SH34 tariff is used for the repair of leaks and bursts.

''The pipes, like the Mzima pipe, are very old and dilapidated, so every time, they need to be refurbished. "If we don't get this money, how do we repair them?" he said.

The Kilifi leadership wants the historical bills waived by the national government, a move that the CWWDA says would jeopardise its operations.

Mguza said that the agency has debts amounting to over 359 million. He says the water resources authority owes them almost Sh350 million.

"The Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) also owes us Sh9 million. We owe obligations to our contractors, and if we do not collect these funds, we will not be able to pay them," he said.