Plan expected to increase the proportion of households with access to safe drinking water from 60 to 80 per cent in the next five years.
The programme will have a special special focus on informal settlements and arid areas, said the President.
The government plans to implement a water storage programme to increase the number of Kenyans connected to safe piped water by nine million by 2022.
The countrywide programme, unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, is expected to increase the proportion of households with access to safe drinking water from 60 to 80 per cent in the next five years.
The programme will have a special special focus on informal settlements and arid areas, said the President.
He spoke at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) Nairobi, where he launched the Ministry of Water and Sanitation’s Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) cycle 2018.
The president said provision of water to Kenyans was an underlying enabler for the attainment of his administration’s Big Four development agenda “which is the future I see.” Besides the water reservoirs, Mr Kenyatta announced that the Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme -- supported by the African Development Bank -- will soon be launched in 22 urban centres across 28 counties.
Strategic plan The president said under the water strategic plan, construction of Itare and Siyoi Muruny dams in Nakuru and West Pokot counties have started. Others like Thwake (Kitui) and Thiba (Kirinyaga) dams are in their final stages of stakeholder engagement.
Later in the year, said Mr Kenyatta Mwache dam (Kilifi)-with a supply capacity of 186,000 cubic metres of water per day - will be launched to address shortages in Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties.
Additionally, plans to implement the Mzima 11 (two) pipeline are at an advanced stage to supply 105,000 cubic metres of water per day to Taita Taveta and other coastal regions, said President Kenyatta.
Other dams to be launched soon under the new strategic program are Bosto (Bomet), Bonyunyu (on Kisii and Nyamira borders) and Karemenu 11 in Kiambu.
President Kenyatta directed the ministries of Water and Sanitation, together with Agriculture and Irrigation, to ensure all affected communities where the water reservoirs will be constructed are adequately engaged on matters of safety.
He said regular inspection and surveillance must become a matter of routine.
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