Water-borne diseases in Kirinyaga County has fallen by 63 per cent following the implementation of the Mwea-Makima Water Project by Governor Anne Waiguru.
For years, residents of Mwea in Kirinyaga County were forced to draw water from irrigation canals running through the vast rice-growing scheme for drinking, cooking, washing and other household needs, exposing families to water-borne diseases.
The Mwea-Makima project now provides safe water to about 30,000 people in more than 7,500 households across Gathigiriri, Nyangati, Thiba, Mutiithi, Wamumu and Tebere wards.
The massive water project is among the most impactful legacy projects of Waiguru’s administration.
Within her tenure, Governor Waiguru has implemented more than 200 water projects across the county, greatly improving hygiene and sanitation and enabling households to live with dignity.
She said that provision of adequate water for domestic and irrigation use has been a priority in the county’s water department that has been involved in provision of water pipes, construction of water storage tanks and boreholes among others.
She has further promised to complete the ongoing Ksh.100 million worth of projects in Mwea before finishing her final term.
While conducting an impact assessment of the Mwea-Makima Water Project, the County Executive Committee Member for Water, Kinyua Mutugi, said the project was addressing a longstanding challenge in Mwea, where families had depended on irrigation canal water for their daily domestic needs.
“Before implementation of this project, we had serious challenges in accessing clean, potable water. Most people depended on water from rice canals, which exposed them to water-related diseases,” Mutugi said.
He said water from the canals contained chemicals and other contaminants from agricultural activities, increasing residents’ exposure to illnesses including typhoid, dysentery and cholera.
The Mwea-Makima Water Project has reached areas including Rurii, Mutiithi Town, Maendeleo, Thiba North and South, Haraka, Ngurubani Town, Kimbimbi, Mbui Njeru and parts of Nyangati, as well as villages across Gathigiriri.
The health impact of increased access to clean water is reflected in routine public health data. County Director of Public Health Peter Irungu said Mwea recorded 19,061 diarrhoea cases in the 2018/19 financial year, but the number had fallen to 6,900 cases by 2025/26 a reduction of about 63 per cent.
“Since the residents started using clean water, there has been significant improvement in hygiene and sanitation standards in the area,” Irungu said.
He said the decline in diseases demonstrated the health benefits of investing in safe water, sanitation and hygiene, noting that communities without adequate access to safe water remained vulnerable to diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Poor hygiene and sanitation also expose children in particular to preventable illnesses.
For residents, however, the transformation is more than a statistic, as told by Henry Mugo, a hotel operator in Tebere Ward.
He said clean water was now reaching remote areas that had previously struggled with supply, including Githogondo.
“The water is really clean and we are happy as we use it at our hotel, as we no longer have to worry about having stomach issues like before,” Mugo said.
John Kaboco from Nyangati recalled a time when families had few options but to depend on canal water or wait for rain.
“Children were unable to drink the water and we could not even clean clothes, especially white ones, because they would get dirtier,” he said.
Kaboco noted that residents also frequently sought treatment at Kangu Dispensary for worms and amoeba, while diarrhoea prevented some children from going to school. He noted that the Mwea-Makima Project had solved those problems and that families were now leading more dignified lives when it came to access to safe water.
The gains made in the provision of clean water for hygiene and sanitation have been complemented by the recent construction and operationalisation of the Kerugoya-Kutus Bulk Sewer Project.
The sewer system has enabled the County to manage waste more effectively while reducing health risks associated with the use of exhausters and other waste-management systems.
CECM Mutugi noted that previously, people were using exhausters and other biodigesters, but the new sewer now provides a better way of managing waste while reducing the risks of contamination and environmental pollution.
The sewer system has benefited both private and public institutions, especially in Kerugoya and Kutus. One such beneficiary is Alber School in Kutus, where the impact of the sewer connection is evident.
School proprietor Alfred Nyaga said the system had improved hygiene and eliminated the unpleasant smell that had previously affected the institution.
“As major beneficiaries, we can testify to how convenient the project has been to us. It used to cost us a lot of money to empty the septic tanks, but the sewer system has now relieved us of that exorbitant cost,” Nyaga said.
