The World Bank in conjunction with the national government has drilled a borehole worth Kshs 14 million in Cheposobei village of Pokot North Sub County in West Pokot. The project being undertaken by Regional Pastoral Livelihood Resilience Project (RPLRP) is aimed at alleviating the issue of water shortage to more than 1,600 community members in West Pokot who will benefit with access to clean water for domestic use.
Speaking after visiting the site of the bore hole, James Tendwa, in charge of the RPLRP in Kenya, said the project is expected to be completed in the next three weeks and has been solar powered.
Mr. Tendwa said the project is part of the government initiatives to ensure continuous provision of water services in the area.
He added that they are working closely with the community and the County government to identify priority projects in their respective areas.
“The community members are the ones who identified the project and the site for construction. At the same time we work closely with our neighbouring country, Uganda, mainly in the control of livestock diseases,” he said.
He noted that the project will reduce the strenuous long distance journeys women made to access water. “We are aware that women and girls in the drought hit area cover many kilometres and spend hours in search of water, and we hope this project will deal with that issue,” he said.
Andrew Kaptalai, County RPLRP team leader said they’ve also prioritized setting up water pans, which are essential for the storage of water in semi arid areas. He said they’ve earmarked the construction of six water pans int he County this financial year to cater for livestock.
Residents thanked the government for the project, pointing out that women and girls have been the most affected people as they spend most of their time in search of the scarce necessity in the area.
“Life is so tough, especially during the drought season. I cover a distance of over 8Kms to Suam River in Kacheliba town and I hardly do any meaningful work at home. I go back home exhausted and even taking a bath here is a luxury,” said Teresa Losingor, a local.
