KISUMU, Kenya, Mar 13 – The government plans to supply over 20,000 residents of Ugunja in Siaya County with clean water after the completion of the Ugunja Water Treatment Plant.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo stated that currently, the plant serves approximately 8,000 households.
Omollo said once the last mile connections are completed, the number will increase to over 20,000.
He pointed out that the water plant, located in Areka village, is a key infrastructural project that is set to be commissioned soon.
“Completed in December 2024, the project is designed to enhance access to clean and safe water for thousands of residents,” he said.
The PS said the intake system has an 8,400 cubic meter treatment capacity, thus ensuring a steady supply of purified water.
To facilitate efficient distribution, Omollo, indicated that the plant features elevated steel storage tanks strategically positioned.
“The storage tanks are at Nyambiro (300m³), Yenga (300m³), St. Sylvester Anyiko (500m³), Mandungu (1,000m³) and a concrete ground tank at Got Osimo (1,500m³),” he said.
The PS said the intake system has an 8,400 cubic meter treatment capacity, thus ensuring a steady supply of purified water.
The system supplies Ugunja Town, Rambula, Sigomere and Madungu, with additional storage at Ligega Primary School, which extends coverage to Sega and Ukwala.
In a dispatch from the PS office, beyond immediate benefits to the community, the plant also serves as a training hub for students from institutions such as Bondo and Rarieda Technical Institutes, Maseno University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University, providing hands-on experience in water treatment management.
In the neighboring Sub County of Alego Usonga, the PS described the ongoing Affordable Housing Project as a game changer in the region’s urban development providing modern and affordable homes for residents.
“This flagship initiative, launched in April 2024, is set to be completed within 18 months, delivering 882 housing units across six high-rise blocks,” he stated.
With a workforce of 230 on-site workers, he said, construction works are progressing efficiently.
Currently, work on four blocks has reached the first-floor slab stage, with formwork actively underway.
He stated that in the remaining two blocks, formwork for ground-floor columns is ongoing, laying the foundation for upward expansion.
The PS said the project is a central pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and represents a bold vision for urban development, job creation and economic empowerment in Siaya County.