Construction of Arror and Kimwarer multi-purpose dams in Elgeyo Marakwet County have raised cause for concern as they are yet to be implemented.
The dams were to be constructed at an inflated cost of Sh 63billion, with the former costing Sh 35billion and the latter Sh 28 billion. They were to be located in Marakwet West and Keiyo South Constituencies. Along the way, it was riddled by controversy that tainted the careers of top government officials, including former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and former Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) Managing Director David Kimosop.
The last time the government spoke about the twin water projects was in September 2019, when President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the immediate commencement of the implementation of the Arror Dam project, but in a scaled down cost and design.
Irregularities in the dams
The President set the cost of Arror at Sh 15.4billion and ordered cancellation of Kimwarer Dam as he received a report from a technical committee chaired by Principal Secretary for Infrastructure Paul Maringa. He had formed to look into irregularities in the dams expected to irrigate at least 15,000ha of arable land. However, nothing has been done since then casting doubts on whether construction of the scaled-down Arror Dam will start soon.
KVDA Chief Executive Officer Sammy Naporos said the authority would embark on implementation of the water project as soon as it is given the go-ahead.
“Communication on the same (revival of Arror Dam) is yet to be directed to us,” he told The Standard.
On his part Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos has raised an appeal and requested the government to reconsider the decision to cancel construction of Kimwarer Dam saying it would create more than 2,000 job opportunities and turn around Kerio Valley economy.
“In the spirit of Handshake, we are hopeful that the two dams will be revived and completed soon – this time under better management. This dams are were part of the Vision 2030 flagship projects and should be implemented,” said Governor Alex Tolgos.
