A local water utility company in Kenya has been named one of the best water companies in the Global Water Awards 2020.
Nyeri Water and Sanitation Company (NYEWASCO) bagged the Water Leaders Award for top utility performance, both providing better services to the local community and reducing operational waste as well as for building overall efficiency.
The utility topped the Water Leaders Award category followed by Argentina’s Obras Sanitarias Mar del Plata-Batán, with a distinction.
The Global Water Awards seeks to recognise the most important achievements in the international water industry within several categories, and reward those initiatives in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward through improved operating performance, innovative technology adoption and sustainable financial models.
The utility is in arrangement with other sub-Saharan water service providers to offer training in efficient billing, customer service, renewable energy and mapping.
“Nyewasco’s innovations and performance are quickly becoming the gold standard for sub-Saharan water services, with a number of others looking to Nyeri for guidance,” a statement on the official website highlighted.
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Its operational performance has been head and shoulders above other water utilities in the country, bringing non-revenue water levels down to just 16% in 2019, compared to the national average of 41%.
Nyewasco extended its successful urban coverage into low income areas and informal settlements in 2019 by radically rethinking its customer service charter and making a ‘pro-poor policy’ central to its decision-making strategy.
The utility’s steep upward trajectory with regards to performance is reflected by its booming bankability. It was one of only three utilities – out of Kenya’s 72 – to be given a clean bill of health in the 2019 national audit, showing it has effective utilisation of public funds and best management practices at its very heart.
Each year, the coveted Global Water Awards are presented at the Global Water Summit, the major business conference for the water industry worldwide.
The 2020 Global Water Awards was announced online on July 23rd. Subsequent category awards will be announce every Thursday over a period of 12 weeks, culminating in the announcement of the winner of 2020 Water Company of the Year on the 8th of October 2020.
