Water and Sanitation
Increased water security brought by the dam and knowing its intended multi-purpose usage will attract people to the area, transform Kitui and Makueni counties to more desirable places to live and earn a livelihood.In phase 1, the program will increase water security by providing 681 million cubic metres (MCM) of water storage, earmarked for phases 2, 3 and 4 as follow:
• 34 MCM for human consumption
• 625 MCM for double usage (power generation and downstream irrigation),
• 22 MCM for upstream irrigation, and an allocation for downstream conservation flow.
• The target population will benefit from an abundant supply of potable water which will lead to improved health and spur economic development throughout the area and in Konza City
Road Infrastructure
By having good and accessible roads around the Dam, residents and the neighboring villages will be linked to market centers, health centers, social amenities, their farming trade will be increased by accessing markets, children will be able to attend school and families will have greater access to food. The villages that weren’t connected with the new roads will hence be out of poverty cycle.
Boost for Local Businesses
As part of government’s strategy to empower locals through promotion of local entrepreneurships, local contractors and suppliers from Makueni and Kitui are poised to benefit by providing services and supplies during the construction.
Boost for youth
Thousands of youth will access employment opportunities and increase their provided, (iii) economic benefits from increased agricultural production, and the benefits of increased power supply
Employment Opportunities
Almost 1,200 staff working in the project and expecting more than 400 more. So far, we have created almost 600,000 indirect jobs. Most of the workers are coming from local communities and they are drawn from counties of Makueni, Machakos, Kitui – both skilled and unskilled.
Hydroelectric power
Production of 20MW of electricity to the national grid will change the power matrix for the regions of Makueni, Kitui and parts of Machakos counties. In terms of efficiency and productivity, hydropower stands out among all the other renewables. It is a more effective way to protect poor residents while increasing access to clean power. Just like developing countries with large power needs, large water needs and growing populations, power from Thwake Multipurpose Dam will support residents quest for irrigation, access to electricity and emergence of small holder industries.
Agriculture & Irrigation
Development of a 100 hectare model farm which will be put under irrigation forms part of the largest irrigation block a potential of more than 40,000 ha net area and lies on the right bank of Athi River. Once that is done, it is expected that the community will be involved in farming and further expansion of the area under irrigation thereby contributing to food security.