Uhuru to visit troubled Ksh. 42B Thwake dam during Ukambani tour

Concerns raised by the Auditor General about the Thwake Dam are being evaluated by relevant government agencies in order to ensure the project’s success.

This is according to Kanze Dena, the State House spokesperson, who spoke during an interview with Athiani FM on Friday morning.

Kanze said that President Uhuru Kenyatta will visit the mega dam on Friday to assess its progress.

“The President will be in the region today to inspect the ongoing construction of Thwake Dam, Konza Technopolis and inaugurate the Machakos Convention Centre,” Kanze Dena said on Friday morning.

According to the Spokesperson, the Head of State’s visit to Ukambani was previously postponed due to the Head of State’s tight schedule and the country’s rising Covid-19 infections.

The visit comes just days after the Auditor General issued a damning report claiming that the water flowing into the dam may be unsafe for human consumption.

The multibillion-shilling project aims to reduce residents’ reliance on rainwater while also providing new opportunities for irrigation, hydropower, and industrial activities.

According to the most recent report, the water entering the dam may not be safe for human consumption because it will be drawn from the Athi River, which receives the majority of its water from the Nairobi River.

The report quoting various studies says in part: “…Nairobi river is heavily polluted with heavy metal and the water is unfit for human consumption…”, adding, “there was no evidence of efforts by the implementing agency to mitigate against the risk and ensure the river is free from pollutants and fit for human consumption before the end of the expected completion of the programme in November 2022”.

The Auditor General expresses fear that the objectives of constructing the same may therefore not be achieved.

So far, 37 percent of the work has been completed for the project jointly funded by the Kenyan government and the Africa Finance Development Bank to a tune of Ksh. 81.63 Billion