Joseph Kamau appointed as Athi Water Works CEO

The Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation, Zacharia Njeru has appointed Joseph Mungai Kamau as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Athi Water Works Development Agency following the conclusion of a competitive recruitment exercise by the board of the state corporation. 

Mr Kamau has taken over from Michael Thuita who was suspended by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei last year following alleged irregularities in the awarding of Sh50 billion tenders for the construction of Ruiru II, Karimenu and Kitui Matuu water projects which was undertaken by the agency. 

Mr Kamau, who has been the acting CEO of the agency since last year has over 27 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector in Kenya. 

His substantive appointment comes as the agency is in the process of implementing several new water projects in various parts of the country. 

Athi Water Works has invited bids for, among others, the construction of the Gigiri-Karura-Outer Ring Road Transmission Pipeline Project. 

The winner of the contract is expected to build a 4.4-kilometre pipeline from Gigiri to Karura and a 4-kilometre pipeline linking Karura to Outer Ring Road over 24 months. 

The project will be funded by French development fund Agence Française de Développement (AFD). 

Other projects expected to start in the short term are boreholes in East Nairobi and the Kiharu Last Mile Water Supply Project. 

Mr Kamau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi, a Master's Degree in Environment Planning and Management from Kenyatta University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Hydraulics Engineering from the prestigious Hydraulics Research Institute in Cairo, Egypt. 

He is also a registered Consulting Engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), a Fellow Member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (FIEK), a registered Lead Environmental Expert, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb). 

Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) is one of the nine Water Works Development Agencies (WWDA) established under the Ministry of Water, Sanitation & Irrigation. It was established under the Water Act 2016 vide Legal Notice No. 28 of 26th April 2019.

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