By F, KNA
The onset of the March–April-May (MAM) long rains in most parts of the country has come as a huge relief not only to farmers, but also to households that had been grappling with severe water shortage for the last two months.
However, the same cannot be said for residents of Rwathiga village in Gaturi Ward, Kiharu Sub County in Murang’a County. For decades, they have endured a perennial water crisis that persists despite seasonal rains.
Every day, they live at the mercy of a shrinking spring, one that they share with wild animals like snakes, hyenas and honey badgers owing to its proximity to Kiambicho forest.
At 2pm on a slightly warm Wednesday afternoon after a heavy downpour, six women can be seen maneuvering the steep terrain, jerricans in hand: Their destination is a small spring tucked between rocks and surrounded by towering indigenous trees.
The spring is the village’s only reliable source of water for domestic use. For these families living barely six kilometres from Murang’a town, fetching water is a risky and exhausting routine.
Stella Wacera says timing is everything. “If you arrive late, you will find a long queue. By around 11am, the spring dries up and you have to wait for it to refill,” she says
On a good day, filling a 20-litre jerrican takes about 10 minutes. When demand is high and the spring has been overdrawn, it can take up to 30 minutes.
Because the spring is too narrow to fit a container directly underneath, residents scoop water using cups, a slow and painstaking process.
“When it is very dry, you can spend almost the whole day here. That means no farming, no other work,” Wacera adds.
Judy Mabuti says she has relied on the spring since she got married in the village in 1998. Born and bred in the neighbouring Kirinyaga county, where there are plenty of rivers, the mother of three says she was shocked to find that she had to queue at a small spring with a cup to fetch water for her family.
She recalls a terrifying encounter when she went to fetch water at 3am in hopes of avoiding the queue. “I found a green mamba resting on the rocks next to the spring. It had probably come to drink water,” she says.
Mabuti quickly flashed her torch toward it, and the snake slithered away. Shaken, she and her daughter retreated home before returning later that morning.
“Encounters with snakes, honey badgers and even hyenas from the nearby forest are not uncommon, especially during dry seasons when wildlife also depends on the shrinking spring” notes Mabuti
After collecting the water, the women face another challenge of climbing a steep hill back to their homes, balancing heavy jerricans on their backs, evidently the physical strain cannot be understated.
Another resident Catherine Waithira says the water shortage has crippled farming activities.
“Our soil is fertile. If we had reliable water, even for domestic use first, we could start kitchen gardens and improve our nutrition. Right now, we buy vegetables yet we could grow them,” she says.
Livestock keeping, once a dependable source of income, has also declined due to water scarcity.
On agriculture, Gaturi is predominantly small scale and rain fed as they grow maize beans and bananas.
Notably, the semi-arid village depends largely on subsistence farming, yet lack of reliable water continues to undermine both livelihoods and basic survival.
The residents now say that with reliable water for domestic use and small-scale irrigation the semi-arid parts like Rwathiga could practice fruit farming and improved livestock rearing to boost household incomes and improve food security.
Beyond the recurrent water crisis, Rwathiga also remains under- privileged in other basic amenities. Several households lack electricity, relying on lanterns for lighting, even as neighbouring villages enjoy piped water and power connections.
According to county data, only about 67 percent of Murang’a County’s population has access to clean drinking water through formal supply systems. Rural wards such as Gaturi remain among the most affected.
However, the Murang’a county government has set a target of achieving 100 percent water coverage by 2027, but until then, residents of Rwathiga continue to climb hills, braving wildlife and queueing for hours every day, just for a few jerricans of water.