KENYA: William Ruto launches sanitation work in Othaya
In Kenya, the second phase of the Othaya Sewerage Project in Nyeri County is getting under way. The work, which will include the laying of sewer pipes, has just been launched by Kenyan President William Ruto.
Work on the second phase of the Othaya Sewerage Project in Nyeri County, Kenya, was launched on 7 August 2023. This was during Kenyan President William Ruto’s five-day tour of Mount Kenya, some 193 km north-east of the capital Nairobi. This stage of the project will see the completion of 7.8 km of sewer pipes, with diameters ranging from 100 to 225 mm, in the town of Othaya. The first phase of the project saw 3.2 km of pipes laid, according to the Tana Water Works Development Agency (TWWDA), which is implementing the project.
The work will also involve the construction of a sanitary block at the Lycée de Kagonye and the rehabilitation of a second sanitary block, the completion of the construction of a double bed for drying sewage sludge, the construction of a sewer pipe in Kanyange, and the micro-tunnelling of tarmac roads in the town of Othaya. According to TWWDA, 70% of the double sludge drying bed has already been built, as has the ablutions block at Gakindu market.
“The works are intended to improve sanitation services for more than 200,000 people in Othaya and the surrounding localities in Nyeri County,” says the Kenyan Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation. According to the latest official estimates, around 26% of the population of Nyeri still lacks improved sanitation services.
Sanitation projects such as the one in Nyeri County are becoming increasingly common in Kenya. The Kenyan government’s ambition is to increase the rate of access to sanitation in the East African country to 100% by 2030. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ranks the country 26th in the world, responsible for 90% of open defecation.
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