Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has sparked a row with his Machakos counterpart Dr Alfred Mutua over the supply of water in the Ukambani county.
Announcing reforms during the Jamhuri Day celebrations, Governor Lenku declared that Machakos residents will not continue to enjoy the natural resource from Oloitoktok while Kajiado suffers from acute water shortages.
"We are hard hit by drought and lack of feed. Yet we have water within our county that is not helping us," he lamented.
He directed that the Noolturesh water pipeline from the Oloitokitok springs all the way to Athi River will now supply water in Kajiado before proceeding to Ukambani.
[caption caption="Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku"]
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The combative Governor stated that he was ready to fight the water war to redeem Kajiado county from its reputation as "a water scarcity county".
"We have had water shortages since independence. This is because our water was diverted to other places in complete disregard of our rising demand for the commodity.
"We are not opposed to sharing our resources, but we must enjoy the resources first," the Governor emphasised.
He noted with disbelief that the water from the springs has been diverted at Sultan Hamud to the disadvantage of the locals.
Governor Lenku told residents that plans for the reforms were already underway after a meeting with the Tanathi Water Company.
"We are told that power to pump the water is a huge hindrance. The county will find a way to reduce the electricity needed for this purpose," he stated.
Governor Mutua may not take the developments lightly as one of his key second-term promises is to ensure tapped water for the most remote parts of his county.
[caption caption="Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua"]
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