Construction of the much-awaited Sh. 20 billion Mwache Multipurpose Dam project in Kwale County is set to begin next month.
The project, whose contract was signed in August 2018, was delayed for several years as the contractor waited the government to finalize the land compensation.
Addressing the press in Kwale County, Principal Secretary for Water in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Joseph Irungu said, the government had finally made a breakthrough in the construction of the dam.
Irungu added that the government was working hard to ensure that all issues that had delayed the project including land compensation were finalized before November 1st.
“The government has sent money to the National Land Commission to finalize the compensation exercise and we expect the commission to complete the exercises so that we can hand over the order of commencement to the contractor,” Irungu said.
Area Governor Salim Mvurya said a total of Sh. 4 billion would be used to compensate individuals who would permanently lose their parcels of land to the mega dam project.
The government announced that over 77 per cent of persons living in critical areas where the main dam shall be constructed have already been compensated.
The compensation exercise is expected to hit 90 per cent by next week as the National Land Commission (NLC) is set to expedite the disbursement of funds.
The project will require 1,600 acres of land and will involve displacement of approximately 12,000 persons whose assets and livelihoods may be affected, as well as access to natural or economic resources as a result of activities under the Mwache Dam Project.
The seven-year project co-funded by the World Bank and the Kenya Government through Kenya Water Security Programme is expected to eradicate the problem of water shortage in the counties of Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi.
