Kamba leaders want locals to get Sh5.5bn Thwake dam deals

Ukambani governors have rejected the proposed formula for sharing jobs and business opportunities arising from the Sh64 billion Thwake Dam project on the border of Kitui and Makueni counties.

The leaders said they want half of the 30 per cent contracts reserved for Kenyans, amounting to Sh5.5 billion, awarded to Ukambani contractors.

Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana and his Machakos counterpart Alfred Mutua met Water ministry officials tasked with co-ordinating the project at Wote town in Makueni County on Monday.

The county bosses called for an adjustment of the proposed formula for distributing jobs and business opportunities between the Chinese and Kenyans. Contract terms dictate, among other things, that the lion’s share of the Sh36 billion worth of tenders in the first phase of the project goes to China Ghezouba Group while 30 per cent would be undertaken by Kenyan sub-contractors.

Some Sh1.1 billion worth of sub-contracts out of local sub-contracts valued at Sh11 billion is reserved for contractors from Ukambani, an offer the local leaders have rejected as insufficient. “Out of the Sh11 billion set aside for Kenyan sub-contractors Sh5.5 should be reserved for contractors from this region,” Dr Mutua said at the end of a closed-door meeting.

Prof Kibwana said the contractors should also ensure they source most of their workers from the region.

“We had earlier agreed that 80 per cent of those to be employed by the project should be Kenyans.

“Sixty per cent of those should be from this region,” said Prof Kibwana.

He urged the main contractor to publicise available vacancies.

The meeting, which was attended by three county commissioners from the region and Water ministry executives from the three counties, came days after the African Development Bank (AfDB) released Sh27.4 billion for the project, paving the way for its construction.

According to the deal, the government is supposed to provide 65 per cent of financing while the AfDB caters for the rest.

The leaders called for the speedy compensation of 189 households displaced by the proposed dam.

Thwake Dam is expected to collect water for domestic use and irrigate up to 100,000 acres as well as generate electricity to power the proposed Konza Technocity.