Kitale Locals Worried for their Health after Supply of Discolored Water: “For Over a Week Now”
- Some residents of Kitale town are living in fear over the quality of water they are getting from the Trans Nzoia Water and Sewerage Company (TRANSWASCO)
- The locals from Gatua, Prison, Tumaini B and Robinson areas claim that for over a week now, their taps have had discolored water
- TRANSWASCO, in response to the concerns, admitted the existence of the issue but assured locals that the water is not contaminated
Trans Nzoia: A section of locals within Kitale town is living in fear of contracting waterborne diseases following the supply of discolored water to their households by the Trans Nzoia Water and Sewerage Company (TRANSWASCO).
Source: Facebook
Which Kitale areas have received discolored water?
The locals within Gatua, Prison, Tumaini B and Robinson areas on the outskirts of Kitale town reported witnessing the discolored water from their taps for several days as of Thursday, April 10.
They expressed concerns that the water might not be safe for domestic use.
“The water is very dirty, we can’t even use it to wash our utensils. I don’t think it is safe for human consumption or even other domestic use. We are deeply worried,” Caren Nasimiyu, a local of Tumaini village in Matisi estate, told TUKO.co.ke.
Similar sentiments were shared by George Makhanu, a resident of Gatua. He claimed to have received the dark colored water from his tap for over a week now.
According to Makhanu, despite them raising an alarm over the issue, no action has been taken to fix it.
"We have raised complaints, but TRANSWASCO has not done anything. This is very dangerous because, apart from exposing our lives to danger, it also drains our pockets. After all, we pay water bills every month," the resident lamented.
Bonface Wanyoike, a human rights activist working with the Justice and Peace Center, challenged the TRANSWASCO management to act as quickly as possible and address the customers' concerns.
Wanyoike pointed out that the provision of unclean water amounts to a breach of human rights.
“We have observed the contravention of the Bill of Right of our Constitution of Kenya 2010 that provides for clean, efficient, adequate quantities and safe water. This is a violation of Human Rights that can attract strict legal measures against the county government," the human rights activist warned.
He revealed that they are in consultations with the affected residents on the next course of action.
Why was there water discoloration in Kitale?
Reached for a comment, TRANSWASCO Managing Director Lucy Gitau said that although the water is discolored, it is still safe.
Source: Original
She dismissed fears from the locals that it had been contaminated and urged them not to panic.
Gitau further explained that the discoloration is due to siltation caused by a newly installed high-pressure pump at their Nzoia pumping station.
"In at most two weeks, we will have fixed the problem once and for all. We are going to install air valves in our pipes," the TRANSWASCO boss told TUKO.co.ke.
A similar issue was also recently raised by locals within Eldoret city. It forced the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS) to disrupt water supply to locals for over three days to address it.
Which counties have cholera outbreak?
Concerns from Kitale locals over the quality of water come at a time when the Ministry of Health has declared a cholera outbreak in three counties.
TUKO.co.ke reported that the outbreak had already claimed six lives, with 97 cumulative cases also reported.
The cholera cases have been reported in Nairobi, Kisumu and Migori counties.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Emanuel Tarus I am professional multi-media journalist with eight years experience as a field-based correspondent. Integrity, objectivity and adherence to ethical standards are my guiding principles in journalism. I am based in Trans Nzoia county and very passionate about gender, crime, environment and climate change reporting. I am also interested in health, human interest, development, leadership and governance beats. In the future, I would like to specialize in diplomacy and geopolitics reporting to expand my reporting scope.
