NYS visits Chebara to assess dam compensation project status

Iten

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

KNA by Alice Wanjiru

A day after President William Ruto directed the National Youth Service (NYS) to complete the Chebara dam compensation projects in the Marakwet West sub-county, senior officers from NYS Monday visited the area to familiarize themselves with the works to be done.

The NYS regional commander Enock Nyandege who led a team that toured the institutions accompanied by area MP Timothy Kipchumba said the NYS required the drawings and bill of quantities to begin the works.

He said the buildings were at different stages of completion adding that NYS will soon be sending their engineers and other technical staff to embark on the works.

 The commander thanked the President for considering NYS as the contractor to undertake the project saying they could do the work adding that they will use both the local community and their trainees to provide labor.

The MP said the projects which include two secondary schools (Chebara boys and girls), two primary schools (Chebara and Kaptomut), Chebara AIC church, and Chebara Polytechnic have remained incomplete for the last 13 years.

He said the projects which were relocated to pave the way for the establishment of Chebara dam which is the main water supplier to Eldoret started in 2011 but stalled in 2012 after being allocated sh.650 million for the construction of the said projects.

The projects were added a further sh. 150 million following the intervention of the immediate former MP who is the current senator William Kisang and Lake Victoria North Water Services Board tasked to complete the projects through the Ministry of Water which released Sh77.5 million for the same.

The board was in the process of advertising tenders for new contractors when the contractors who had initially been awarded the contracts went to court to block the process dealing a blow to the projects which have continued to deteriorate.

 The President while on a church service in Iten on Sunday called on the contractors to withdraw the case and directed the NYS to undertake the projects and complete them within 90 days.

The community has expressed their appreciation to the president saying they now have hope that finally the projects will be completed and enable them to enjoy the benefits of the compensation.

 However, Kipchumba said he will still follow up with Eldowas which relies on water from the dam for revenue to ensure that residents from the area receive maximum benefit from the dam.

He said while the dam supplies 80 percent of the water to Eldoret town, people living around the dam have no access to water with the majority suffering from waterborne diseases adding that Eldowas has not taken any conservation projects to protect the dam.

 “We have to review the agreement so that residents receive their fair share of the dam through employment and other CSR programs,” he said.

Courtesy; KNA