Kitui residents decry acute water shortage as drought bites

Kitui residents decry acute water shortage as drought bites

Residents of Kitui East Sub County, Kitui County on Wednesday called on the county government to intervene and end the acute water shortage occasioned by a prolonged dry spell in the region.

Speaking at a waterspot where hundreds of residents gathered with water containers in search of the precious commodity, Tito, one of the residents, said they have been forced to walk for over 30 kilometers to get water.

Residents complain that the situation has worsened with time with the boreholes dug by the county government also drying up.

“It is sad that 50 years after independence and four years since the formation of the devolution government our people are still using traditional means of acquiring water,” said Tito.

“The water crisis has triggered inter-community wars since we are forced to fight with Tana River residents over the same water spots.”

Malalani Primary School in Kitui, which has a student population of 1000, has been forced to cope with the water crisis for a month.

According to Henry Muasya, the school’s headteacher, students are forced to fetch water from water spots that are far from their homes thus leading to truancy.

The residents are now asking both Tana River and Kitui County governors to give a permanent solution to the crisis.

This comes barely weeks after Migori County residents went for seven days without water due to unpaid electrical bills.

The county water department reached an agreement with a local water firm and the pending bill was eventually paid ending the crisis.

Tags:

Migori Nakuru County Tana River TAITA TAVETA KITUI COUNTY kitui east devolution government Kaptembo Kiamunyi Mkarafuu

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