Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Malombe earlier today hosted officials from the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority led by Dr. Kipseng’eret Koros – Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Board at his office.
The National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority has commenced the construction of Umaa Dam in Kitui which had stalled for over ten years. The Authority has contracted China Jiangxi International Corporation to construct the dam at a cost of 1.9 billion shillings.
The Authority undertook a design review of the project, retaining some of the structures from earlier construction, and signed a contract for the same in December 2023. The contractor mobilized to the site in January 2024, and the project is set to be completed in two years.
The Dam is one of the five initial Vision 2030 flagship projects with a storage capacity of 1.228 million cubic meters (MM3) and a supply rate of 3,975 cubic meters per day, the dam, according to the Water Authority, is set to serve a population of over 75,000 people in Kitui County.
According to the County Minister for Water, Gitonga Nkunda, the project—once complete—will go a long way in complementing the water supply in Kitui and reducing water shortages within the municipality.