Makueni: The World Bank, through the Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Programme (KEWASIP), is set to invest 150 million to restore degraded ecosystems in Makueni County, as announced by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.
According to Kenya News Agency, Governor Mutula highlighted the initiative during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Kikima Comprehensive School. The restoration project aims to rehabilitate watersheds, revive ecosystem health, improve water security, and enhance resilience to climate change. “KEWASIP, alongside our county’s own water governance and infrastructure reforms, will strengthen our capacity to manage water sustainably,” remarked Mutula.
The governor urged residents, leaders, farmers, youth, and women to contribute to the government’s restoration efforts, emphasizing the importance of sustainable, climate-resilient development in Makueni. “As we celebrate our nationhood today, let us also renew our resolve: to protect our landscapes, conserve our water, and build a Makueni where no child goes thirsty, where farms flourish, and where nature and people thrive in harmony,” he added.
In a related development, the governor announced that Makueni County has been allocated Sh 130 million under the Kenya Water Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (K-WASH) to improve access to clean water and sanitation. The County’s development of a Water and Sanitation Strategy and Investment Plan has resulted in the Kibwezi-Makindu Water Company qualifying for an additional Sh 37 million for financial reporting excellence and receiving an unqualified audit opinion.
Governor Mutula emphasized the importance of these resources in enhancing water and sanitation services, aiming to have more villages declared open defecation-free for sustainable community sanitation. “We are not relenting until we address water governance issues in the water sector,” stated the governor.
Additionally, the governor reported the completion of the Sh 68 million Athi-Kilema-Tunguni Water project, now operational, serving 42,500 households in Kikumbulyu North, Makindu, and Nguumo wards.
