Residents of Masalani town in Ijara Sub- County, Garissa County, are grappling with an acute water shortage during the holy month of Ramadan which commenced on Wednesday 18. The crisis has been attributed to a pending electricity bill of Sh700,000 owed by the Masalani water supply to the power provider.
According to local sources, the water pumps have been disconnected due to unpaid bills, leaving thousands of households without running water at a time when demand is expected to rise significantly.
Residents have called on the county government’s Department of Water Services to urgently investigate why electricity bills for the water supply system rose sharply from an average of Sh300,000 to Sh700,000 in January and mid-February. Some locals suspect possible illegal power connections between the Hola substation and the Masalani water intake system and are demanding a thorough probe.
The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Hola substation manager, Hezron Joseph, confirmed that the Masalani water supply has an outstanding electricity bill that remains unpaid. Masalani Sub- County Water Coordinator Noor Mohamed also acknowledged the arrears, saying efforts are being made to resolve the matter.
Residents have appealed to Ijara Constituency MP Abdi Ali Sheikhow, Garissa Senator Abdul Mohamed Haji and Garissa Governor Nathif Jama to intervene and restore water services. Institutions including Masalani Sub- County Referral Hospital and local schools have also been affected by the shortage.
Currently, many residents depend on water from a borehole drilled by the Yussuf Haji Foundation. However, vulnerable households are unable to afford transport costs for jerricans delivered by motorcycle. Those with means purchase raw water from private water bowsers at between Sh2,000 and Sh3,000 per tanker, a cost many describe as unsustainable amid the prevailing drought.
Community leaders, including former Ijara County Council chairman Mohamed Gure, Masalani Watchdog chairman Abdullahi Mohamud, youth leader Yakub Yarrow and Ubsh Yasin, have urged the Garissa County Government to consider privatizing the town’s water supply to improve efficiency and accountability.
Masalani water supply reportedly has about 6,000 registered connections, with households expected to pay Sh1,000 per month despite taps running dry. Some staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed they have not received salaries for two months, while others said they have served as casual workers for up to eight years.
Residents insist that access to water is a constitutional right and have called on Masalani MCA Yunis Abdi, who chairs the Water Services Committee in the Garissa County Assembly, to act swiftly to restore supply of the essential commodity.
by Mohamed Dahir
