The Thwake Dam project, whose completion has been postponed five times, is nearing completion, according to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.
In a statement released on Thursday, September 4, Omollo announced that the project, constructed at a reported cost of Ksh 82 billion, will soon be completed, benefiting millions of Kenyans in Makueni and Kitui.
The dam had been subject to much controversy after the government repeatedly postponed the project’s completion, citing financial constraints.
Speaking during a site visit in October 2024, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa, the fifth CS to oversee the project, announced that the project would be done by mid-2025.
At the time, Mugaa noted that the embankment phase, a critical part of the project, would take six months to complete and pave the way for the project’s conclusion. Mugaa’s visit came after work at Thwake had been halted for two months, with the contractors citing a lack of funds to finish it.
The Water Cabinet Secretary explained that the government was in constant communication with the African Development Bank, which is funding the project, to ensure the release of funds was fast-tracked.
Thwake Dam's Troubles
In October 2023, the then Water CS, Zachary Njeru, became the fourth CS to inspect the project and promised residents that it was 84.4 per cent complete and would be finished in December of that year. However, the government has since changed its tune yet again.
At the time, the project had consumed over Ksh22 billion, funded by the African Development Bank. The funds accounted for close to 90 per cent of the finances required to complete the first phase of the project, yet much remained to be done.
Controversy dogged the project’s main contractor, China Gezuba Group Company, which had been forced to halt operations several times owing to cash flow problems. There were incidents where workers downed their tools due to non-payment, while theft of equipment at the site further hampered progress.
About Thwake Dam
Thwake Dam, a multipurpose infrastructure project, aims to enhance water security, boost agricultural productivity, and generate clean energy for the region.
Once completed, it is expected to provide safe drinking water, support the irrigation of over 40,000 hectares of farmland, and deliver 20MW of hydropower, along with other essential water supply infrastructure.
With a reservoir storage capacity of 688 million cubic meters, Thwake is Kenya's second-largest dam after Masinga. It is a rock-fill structure with an impervious concrete face, standing approximately 80.5 meters tall.
