Sh82 billion Thwake Dam completion date moved amid dispute
Ongoing construction of the Thwake Multi-purpose Dam on the border of Kitui and Makueni counties in early February.
The national government has for the third time pushed back the completion date of the Sh82 billion Thwake Dam project, which is coming up on the border of Kitui and Makueni counties.
This comes amid controversy surrounding the project's contractor, China Gezhouba Group Company Limited, after a court allowed a subcontractor to auction off the firm's assets in a breach of contract case.
Nation has established that a Nairobi-based auctioneer last week obtained court orders to attach China Gezhouba Group Company’s movable properties after it lost a court battle to JTG Enterprises Limited, a sub-contractor, following claims of breach of contract.
The tussle has stoked fresh fears that the government may fail to deliver the project on time.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation committed to completing the Vision 2030 flagship project on time, with Water Secretary Samuel Alima, who is also the Thwake Dam project engineer, saying the establishment of a reservoir at the confluence of rivers Athi and Thwake is almost done.
“The completion date of the ... project is February 6, 2024. We are now at 84.4 per cent complete,” Mr Alima said when he led a team of high-ranking government officials on a site visit last Friday. “We are monitoring the progress of the project very closely. The most critical part is the filling of the embankment.”
"The embankment is a total of 11 million cubic metres of material. We have filled up to around eight million cubic metres.”
“We shall fill the remainder in September, October and November after which we shall leave it for three months to settle before we do the concrete face,” Mr Alima said.
“We have instructed the contractor that the completion date must be achieved,” he added.
Mr Alima was accompanied by top officials of the Chinese firm. Once complete, Thwake Dam is projected to store 688 million cubic metres of water. It will supply water for domestic use, irrigation and generation of electricity.
The completion of the first phase of the project that is funded jointly by the African Development Bank and the national government will pave the way for the undertaking of the subsequent phases.
These include the establishment of a hydroelectric power station, piping of water to the upcoming Konza Technology City, and establishing an irrigation system to serve 100,000 acres of farmland around the dam.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior has suggested that the remaining phases of the project should be undertaken simultaneously so that residents can start benefiting.
“The water distribution and irrigation components of the project should happen concurrently with the electricity component so that residents can use the water,” the county boss said recently.
