Kakamega & Busia to handle their Water services

Trouble looms in the Water and Sanitation sector in Kakamega and Busia counties as the two decide to take over running and management of the service in their regions from the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board (LVWSB).

Making this public, the Kakamega county board of directors charged with overseeing the operations has revealed that they intend to take over the services as from 1st July 2016.

The new company will operate under the name ‘Kakamega Water and Sanitation Service company’.

The incoming managing director at an acting capacity, Fred Atua, said they are acting in accordance with the Kenyan constitution that demands that counties run their own water companies.

According to Atua, LVWSB was running the  Kakamega – Busia Water Company illegally given that there was no entity between them.

Addressing the employees at the Water Company in Kakamega, Atua asked them to pledge their loyalties to the company as from July 1st, 2016 and not the LVWSB as before.

He told them that the 181 staff will be split 50 being transferred to Busia while the remaining 131 to be tasked at the water company in Kakamega.

He assured the workers that despite the transfers, they will work under the same conditions they were employed and that the transfers will follow a legal process.

Atua said that they reached the decision after a joint committee led by the Kakamega county governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his Busia counterpart Sospeter Ojamoong.

He called upon them to embrace the transfer and not take it as a punishment adding that their efforts in the new company will improve their remuneration.

Kakamega county inherits a debt of over Ksh. 278 million from the board, owed to them by a number of institutions ranging from supplies to levies about 78 million while water customers owe the company over 200 million.

Atua said that most of the customers who owe them huge debts are government institutions, adding that they are working on introducing a pre – paid service to avoid such cases.

The chairman of the new company (Kakamega Water and Sanitation Service company) Dr. John Wamakonjio has said that they are aiming at making the company among the best in Kenya.

He said they will work on improving the company’s financial position which is way below their expectations and may be introducing new services among them smart phone meter reading towards achieving it.

The team was also concerned over the notice by the LVWSB to sell three of their motor vehicles arguing that it was against the law.

They also demand the LVWSB to release Ksh. 42 million paid by KENHA as damages incurred during the construction of the Kisumu Kakamega highway explaining that the money belongs to the company.

The board had earlier blocked the county government of Kakamega from accessing the premise.

Unconfirmed sources indicate that the board is not willing to let go the company’s operations.

Efforts to reach the Lake Victoria Water service Board management for comment hit a snug as the Chief Executive Officer declined to comment saying that he was not ready to address the press.