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Water Project Commissioned |
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Residents of Kiria ward of Mugoiri sub location of Kahuro division in the newly created Murang’a East District are a smiling lot because they can now efficiently and affordably access safe drinking water within a radius of 1.5 kilometres from their homesteads.
The Kiria Community borehole that was commissioned yesterday by Economic Planning Secretary (EPS), Mr. Stephen Wainaina, from the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 will benefit about 2,500 persons.
Mr. Wainaina, while addressing the residents said the Ministry of Planning, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project Implementation Unit has funded the project to a tune of KSh. 2.6 Million while the Constituency Development Fund through area Member of Parliament, Muturi Mwangi has injected KSh. 435,000.
“I urge the district to come up with more proposals addressing the eight Millennium Development Goals and forward them to the District Development Officer (DDO) for further consideration.â€
The Economic Planning Secretary further said the water will be sold at the kiosk for KSh. 3.00 per 20 litres container for sustainability. He said the project will address MDG – Goal 7 of “Ensuring environmental sustainability whose target (c) is to halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitationâ€.
The EPS was accompanied by the National Coordinator, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project Implementation Unit, Mr. Gideon Mailu, Director of Rural Planning, Mr. Joseph Mukui, area MP, Muturi Mwangi and District Commissioner, George Natembeya.
Mr. Wainaina said the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 in conjunction with Embassy of Finland and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been coordinating the mainstreaming of MDGs into national policy, planning and budgetary processes since 2002 with implementation being carried out through government line ministries, private sector and the civil society organizations.
Kiria Water project has been implemented under MDGs Quick Win Projects which are aimed at reducing poverty and improving the living standards of the people. The mainstreaming has been going on in the districts with high poverty levels and Murang’a North (which has now been split to Murang’a East) is one of the nine districts which were chosen to be a Millennium District alongside Bondo, Bungoma, Garissa, Meru South, Kilifi, Siaya, Suba and Turkana.
The MDGs Quick Win Projects model identifies and prioritizes relatively low cost projects that take a short time to implement with a high impact on beneficiaries.
In Murang’a North, three projects were identified and these are; provision of seedlings, drilling and completion of the Kiria Community Water project and establishment of fodder bulking site and training on better animal husbandry and disease control, all projects funding totaling to KSh. 3.25 Million within the greater Murang’a district.
The borehole was started as a community self help group then registered as Ngaru Nguyoini whose aim was to source portable domestic water but due to increased demand, inaccessibility and erratic distribution from Kahuti water scheme that was serving the area, resident resulted to this initiative, which has finally borne clean water.
Area MP, Muturi Mwangi urged the residents to ensure that they optimize the use the project by using the time they will save by fetching the water from close their quarters to engage in other economic generating activities and guard themselves from vandalism and jostling for power.
District Commissioner, George Natembeya, cautioned leaders and wananchi against politicizing the project saying no one was entitled to claim political mileage out of the project since all the funds have come from the Government through taxpayers’ money.
Nairobi January 30, 2010 by Nancy Mathu |
