The Kenyan authorities recently provided an update on the implementation of the project to expand the drinking water supply network in the City of Nairobi and Kiambu County (Nairobi Metropolitan Area). Conclusion: The work carried out by the Chinese company Zhongmei Engineering Group will be delivered before the end of 2019.
The Nairobi County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC) held a meeting for the ongoing work on the drinking water project in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and Kiambu, in the Nairobi metropolitan area. The result: everything will be delivered this year (2019)!
For Board Joshua Ichang, one of the heads of the Athi Water Services Board, who reviewed the progress of field work, the works in progress in the western part of the Nairobi metropolitan region should even be delivered by the end of June 2019. As for the eastern part, it will still be until October 2019.
The extension of the drinking water supply
All the works are being carried out by the Chinese company Zhongmei Engineering Group, which is to lay 24 km of pipeline between the cities of Kiambu and Embakasi. This network will be connected to a water reservoir with a capacity of 14,000 m3, also under construction in Embakasi. According to the Athi Water Services Board, 76% of the work has already been completed for the pipeline, or more than 18 km installed. The construction of the Embakasi concrete water reservoir increased by 77%.
Ongoing work in the western part of the Nairobi metropolitan area involves laying more than 14 km of pipelines between the cities of Uthiru and Karen. They will supply a 5,000 m3 water reservoir currently being finalised in the city of Uthiru. Construction work on the concrete tank and pipes is 96% complete.
Although work has been delayed due to some residents who are opposed to the passage of drinking water pipes on their land. For all the projects, the bill amounts to 3.5 billion Kenyan shillings (nearly 35 million dollars).
Jean Marie Takouleu
