How Thwake Dam is set to propel millions of lives in the Lower Eastern region

By Godffrey Olali

The State and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are implementing one of the country’s most ambitious water development projects poised to uplift many lives in the semi-arid lower Eastern region of the country.

Thwake Multipurpose Water Development Program (TMWDP) – an initiative being rolled out in four phases through the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, is already contributing to the transformation of lives for many residents.

When the State and AfDB rolled out the construction of this dam – touted to be the second largest in the country – residents drawn from the rural parts of semi-arid counties of Makueni, Kitui and parts of Machakos saw it as the missing link and the panacea to their “decades - old water question.”

“The progress is impressive and encouraging. The government will be supportive and act as a facilitator to safeguard billions of tax payers’ money which is being pumped into this mega project. The downstream components will have a big impact on food security because the three counties have fertile soils suitable for farming activities. We must fast-track the other phases of the dam,” says Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, during her recent visit to the Vision 2030 project.

The dam whose physical progress now stands at 86.35 per cent, is meant to fulfill the country’s long-term development ambition in the areas of water, energy and agriculture.

The total cost amount for the dam construction is Kshs. 42.365 billion funded by the AfDB at a cost of Ksh 35.6 billion and Government of Kenya at a cost of Ksh 6.7 billion.

The first phase which is currently ongoing, involves construction of an 80.5m high multi-purpose dam with a storage capacity of 688 million cubic metres and associated auxiliary works. It is located one kilometer downstream of the confluence of Thwake and Athi Rivers. Thwake Dam is a concrete faced rock filled embankment dam covering an area of around 9,217 acres with a catchment spanning about 10,276 km2.

The second phase will involve development of water supply, sanitation and wastewater infrastructure to supply estimated 150,000 m3/day of treated water to approximately 1.3 million people drawn from the rural and urban areas of Kitui and Makueni counties and Konza Techno City in Machakos County.

The third and the fourth phases will see development of hydropower generating system with an installed capacity of approximately 20 MW and irrigation scheme to irrigate 40,000 hectares (approx. 100,000 acres) of land.

“This program was in the Bank’s pipeline for a long time and under discussion with Government of Kenya. It was in the wish list for Vision 2030, thereby prompting Kenyan government to approach the Bank for construction of an 80.5-meter dam at the confluence of Athi and Thwake rivers in Makueni and Kitui counties,” notes the AfDB Director General, East Africa Operations Ms. Nnenna Nwabufo.

She further indicates that the Ministry and other stakeholders including the National Treasury and Planning and the county governments of Makueni and Kitui must work to ensure the dam is fully operational, properly maintained and sustained.

“We must agree that once the dam will be complete, it can’t be operational without the implementation of other critical downstream phases like water supply, hydropower development and irrigation. We encourage the Ministry not to rest. We hope to work with the State to ensure the remaining phases are fully implemented so that this facility can meet its full objective,” she added.

Makueni County Governor Hon. Mutula Kilonzo Junior opines that his county is lucky to have a project of this magnitude, especially its close proximity to the Konza Techno City.

“You can’t create a city without sustainable water. Major cities in the world that are doing well in terms of tourism and other infrastructure developments have sustainable water systems. As a country, we must get serious about water,” said the former Makueni Senator who also thanked the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, the contractor and the consultant for implementing a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.  

He adds that major world cities like Beijing, London, Stockholm, Washington, Berlin, Geneva and many others are served by rivers which have heavily contributed to their developments, alluding that great civilizations happened along the rivers.

As a socio economic enabler and a contributor to the Vision 2030 blue-print and the United Nations backed - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the program is already creating impact on many lives.

Ongoing civil works for Phase 1 and related activities have already created direct and indirect employment of more than 1,200 locals – both men and women who are mainly the bread winners for their families. By this, the project is easing the direct resource dependency pressures.

The distances travelled and time spent by women and children in search of water will be reduced, instead, this energy and time is being spent on economically and socially viable activities for the families.

The dam will also reduce rural-urban migration as people will get employed in the upcoming opportunities in the area.

Upgrading of certain roads, necessary for the construction and maintenance of the dam, is already contributing to a better transport and travel networks. This has created positive social and economic impacts in the area.

The county government also estimates that the prices of land around the project area has significantly increased and gained value following the planned phases which will open up socio-economic initiatives.

Since agriculture and livestock trade is the mainstay of the economy in Lower Eastern region of Kenya, having proper road network will successfully contribute to the restoration of the rural livelihoods of these communities.

The program, through CSR initiative and partnership, has allowed stakeholders to benefit through rehabilitation of schools and construction of new classrooms, rehabilitation and construction of health centers and construction of maternity wing and drilling of boreholes.

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