This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
Residents of Kiboko area in Makueni County can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Water Resources Authority (WRA) lifted a caution on the use of water from the area's springs and rivers. The authority had issued a precautionary notice on May 10, 2019, following a leak on the new Nairobi–Mombasa pipeline, commissioned by the Kenya Pipeline Company last year August.
According to a public notice dated November 14, 2019, the WRA manager for Middle Athi Sub-Region Stephen Munyao said that after analysis of the water samples from the affected springs, the results indicated that the water resources of Kiboko River were free from oil and grease.
However, the residents are advised to use treated water and for those drawing directly from the springs and rivers, to satisfactorily disinfect or boil and observe hygiene throughout the water-usage chain. The treatment would come at an added cost for residents who not only use the water for household consumption but also for their livestock and farming.
The lifting of the caution will give the Kenya Pipeline Company some relief as it has had to supply fresh water to Kiboko residents over the period the notice was in place. However, the company will be required to stay on the site to complete a clean-up of the areas affected by the oil spill.
