Blow to Makueni and Kitui residents as RUTO’s government abandons construction of Sh82 billion Thwake Dam

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - Residents of Makueni and Kitui will have to wait longer for the completion of the Thwake Multipurpose Dam.

This is after President William Ruto’s government postponed its completion for the fifth time.

Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa, who visited the site for the first time since his appointment as Water CS, revealed that the government will have to postpone the completion due to financial constraints.

Mugaa, who was overseeing how far the project was, noted that the embankment phase will take approximately six months to finish.

"The embankment wall has been rockfield and prepared for the embankment phase to be completed. According to the contractor, it will take 162 days which is like 5.5 months to finish", Mugaa told the press.

Work in the Dam had been halted for two months with the contractors citing no funds to complete it.

The Water Cabinet Secretary explained that the government is in constant communication with the African Development Bank, which is funding the project to ensure they fast-track the release of funds.

However, this is not the first time the government has postponed the construction of the dam.

So far, the completion of Thwake Dam has been postponed five times, with close to 4 different Water Cabinet Secretaries overseeing the project.

The Kenyan DAILY POST