This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
On September 18, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the cancellation of the Sh22.2 billion Kimwarer Dam project in Elgeyo Marakwet county.
The decision was made after a technical committee, chaired by Infrastructure Principal Secretary Prof Paul Maringa, reviewed the project's designs, technical sustainability, and financial proposals.
The committee found that the project area is settled and would require compensation for displaced residents, and that the water supply mechanism would involve unsustainable pumping costs.
According to State House spokesperson Kanze Dena-Miraro, the committee established that the Kimwarer Dam was overpriced and not technically or financially viable.
However, the committee recommended that the Arror Multipurpose Dam project, which was also under review, be implemented with a cost rationalization plan to ensure its viability.
The saga surrounding the two projects saw Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and his PS Kamau Thugge, alongside 10 other government officials, arraigned in court in July to face multiple charges.
