Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) on Tuesday launched a Ksh 0.5B water project that will serve 40,000 residents of Kibera daily.
The project consists of six boreholes, and five water treatment plants that have been installed and operationalized.
“This water project will serve 40,000 residents of Kibera with clean and safe water. Because of poor sanitation in the slums, we have employed aerial water piping system that ensures that water is delivered safely to the final consumer after treatment,” SHOFCO Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede said during the launch.
The 13-kilometre water project will also serve 47 schools and five health centres in Kibera and Lang’ata sub-counties with free water.
“As someone who grew up in Kibera slums, I’m so proud to see this clean water which can be taken directly from the source. It is so powerful,” he stated.
The water will be dispensed through a digital system installed in 52 water kiosks spread across Kibera informal settlements.
“We have kiosks across Kibera and Lang’ata sub-counties. We provide water at a cost of Ksh3 when others are selling at Ksh30. This means nobody should get sick because they cannot afford clean water. Water is life,” Dr. Odede added.
Speaking during the launch, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who represented Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said the water plant is a game-changer in the effort to address water shortage in Kibera slums.
“This is a major investment for the people of Kibera. Raila Odinga has promised to find time to come and see this amazing project which we have just launched.
“For the people of Kibera and everybody who will enjoy the water, just know that this is a major investment,” Sifuna said.
The Senator further said the project will help bridge the gap of water shortage in Nairobi which currently stands at 260 million litres per day.
“In Nairobi, we have a demand of around 810 million litres of water per day but the supply we have is only about 550 million litres, leaving a very high deficit of 260 million litres per day.
“So, a project like this will bridge the gap and ensure our people get clean and reliable water for their daily use. I’m proud of what SHOFCO is doing,” he said.
Water Cabinet Secretary Zachary Njeru, who sent the Senior Deputy Secretary at the State Department for Water and Sanitation Douglas Mutai to represent him during the launch, said the project is in line with his ministry’s agenda to provide water for all.
“Water, sanitation and hygiene are the most critical services offered by SHOFCO and this is in line with my ministry’s efforts to provide these services for every Kenyan citizen. For this reason, we appreciate SHOFCO’s support to deliver this noble mission.
“I’m particularly impressed by your great commitment to ensure that clean water supply is provided affordably to every resident of Kibera community,” CS Njeru said.
SHOFCO adopted an aerial water piping system to crack down on vandalism and theft of pipes and end contamination of water in Kibera.
For decades, water cartels in the slum had made it almost impossible to supply affordable water via underground pipes.
The cartels uprooted pipes laid by suppliers, who would sell water to residents at cheaper rates.
SHOFCO was also a victim but after giving it careful thought, the organisation designed a system that does not involve the digging of trenches and laying underground pipes.
The organisation adopted a system using overhead pipes supported by poles. The pipes terminate at water kiosks located in strategic parts of Kibera.
The organization has also expanded its water project to Mathare slums in Nairobi and Mombasa County.
SHOFCO is also supplying water to residents of Siaya, Kisumu, Kakamega and Kilifi counties using water bowsers.
At the same time, the organization is engaged in borehole digging in Kilifi and rehabilitation of water pans in Siaya, Homa Bay and Kisumu counties.
Peter Okumu, who resides in Katwekera, Kibera, thanked Dr. Odede for the initiative.
“His coming was godsent. He has changed our lives. I used to spend so much money buying charcoal or paraffin to boil the water for drinking and cooking,” he said.
