Construction of the US $176M Mwache dam project in Kenya is set to commence in February 2022. Kenyan Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation revealed the report and said the move marks the end of about five years of negotiating land for the project and compensating people (about 12,000 people).
The Mwache multi-purpose dam development project is a priority investment by the Government as a flagship project of Vision 2030. The project was under the portfolio of the former Ministry of Regional Development Authorities (MoRDA) through the Coast Development Authority (CDA) working in partnership with Coast Water Services Board (CWSB).
The project which was first mulled by CDA in 1995 has been delayed due to lack of funding. But now plans to begin construction were given fresh impetus when the government secured the required funding. Population growth and growing demand for precious water resources also accelerated the construction of the mega-dam.
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Project’s benefit
The project is being co-funded by the World Bank and the Government of Kenya to the tune of Sh 20bn. The dam site is located across the Mwache River at the Fulugani village, Kwale County, about 22 km west of the city of Mombasa. The Coast Water Supply Master Plan identified the dam as the preferential, viable, and necessary long-term option for water supply to Mombasa and Kwale counties.
The dam is meant to harness floodwaters from Mwache River basin in Kinango Sub County and help tackle persistent water shortages in the coastal region. The Mwache Dam will be an 87.5 meter-tall concrete gravity dyke, impounding 118 million cubic meters for water supply and irrigation and is expected to boost the water supply for Kwale and Mombasa counties. The massive dam when complete is also expected to put 2,600 hectares of land under irrigation in Kwale County.