Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (KACWASCO) Managing Director (MD), CPA Charles Tung’a, has vowed to crack down on illegal water connections, meter tampering and unauthorized borehole drilling.
Tung’a expressed concern that over 50 per cent of the water produced by the company is lost through leakages, illegal connections, and unbilled water consumption.
“The high Non-Revenue Water (NRW) rate of fifty-nine per cent against the stipulated twenty-five per cent by the regulator implies that over 50 per cent of the water produced is lost through leakages, illegal connections, and unbilled water consumption,” noted the Managing Director.
The MD said, ‘To further improve the service delivery, the company is investing in new technologies such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to ensure that accurate and prompt billing is achieved, as well as new gadgets to help meter readers take accurate readings from customers,’ the managing director said.
Tung’a revealed that the company has implemented a new operational model called District Metered Areas (DMAs), which will create zones in the town with a specific officer tasked to oversee water distributed and sold within their zone from July 2026 onwards.
“The new system will have all billing consolidated and under control by implementing Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, and meter readers will use smartphones to send information directly to the company’s system for automatic billing and instant notification to customers,” he added.
“Of approximately 38,000 registered connections, 25,000 connections are active and approximately 11,000 connections are inactive, still receiving water, which the company is looking to correct by targeted interventions,” he said.
Tung’a, who assumed the role on June 2, 2026, said he was appointed by the Board of Directors to manage the company’s day-to-day operations and ensure better results for residents of Kakamega Town, Mumias, Butere, Malava, Matunda, Shinyalu, Lubao and Lumakanda and surrounding areas.
During an interview at his office in Kakamega town, the managing director said the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation has also established a water police team to crack down on illegal connections, with those caught having to pay a fine of Sh100,000 and face court prosecution.
He warned against unscrupulous and illegal connections by some customers, whom he said sometimes collude with company staff.
At the same time, the MD expressed concern over the growing number of borehole drillers and construction companies drilling boreholes without seeking approval from the Water Resources Authority (WRA) and without a no-objection certificate from KACWASCO, which is a threat to water quality and public health.
The company urged the county government to halt approvals of borehole digging without following the proper procedures, arguing that the practice could put entire communities at risk of spoiling their water quality.
He said in the past water services were provided by companies under the Ministry of Water, but after the enactment of the Water Act of 2016, water services have been handed over to county governments.
“This has led to the company being managed by a Board of Directors funded by the Kakamega County government, with members from different sectors to ensure that the Board has independence and efficient governance,” he said.
Tung’a said the county government is expected to offer some financial assistance to help the company ease itself out of its financial burden and also monitor the operations, but he said KACWASCO is mostly reliant on the income generated from customers to run its operations.
He explained that Kakamega County has two water service providers: one for rural people and another for urban, with KACWASCO serving the municipalities and towns, including Kakamega Town, Mumias Town, Butere Municipality, Malava Municipality and, in the future, Matunda Municipality.
“When the water infrastructure is built and maintained by the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, one of nine such agencies created by the Water Act, the treated water is sold to customers by KACWASCO,” he added.
He cited the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, the Ministry of Water, the African Development Bank, JICA, KISIP and other development partners as key partners whose support continues to be crucial in enhancing water production and distribution capacity for the county’s ever-increasing population of more than two million people.
The Managing Director announced that the company has tied-up with donors to sponsor last-mile connectivity projects, which include Makunga and Kefinco, with a total investment of 180 million shillings
“Phase one of the project will increase household connections,” he affirmed.
He also noted that the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency is working on more water infrastructure projects, citing the Malava Water project, which is at about forty-five per cent completion.
“Once complete and handed over, this will enhance water connectivity to Malava Municipality and its surrounding areas,” he said.
By Godfrey Wang’anya and Annlinda Simiyu
