Water crisis that created a booming business in Bomet

Four years ago, Paul Kiprono was unemployed, broke and looking for a way to make ends meet.

Then Bomet town ran dry.

For months, residents of Bomet town had struggled to get water, with taps frequently going dry. Kiprono saw an opportunity in the crisis and, armed with Sh5,000 borrowed from his uncle, bought 20-litre jerrycans and a wooden handcart, and began fetching untreated water from the Nyangores River for homes and businesses.

His first customers were construction sites, shops, offices, salons and eateries and it did not take long for demand to outstrip his ability to supply it.

“After a short time, I realised that I was overwhelmed by the demand,” he says, adding he bought a second handcart and hired an employee.

A few months later, he took the next step: a motorcycle bought on hire purchase, which he managed to pay off within six months.

Two years on, Kiprono owns a second-hand car which he is still paying for in monthly instalments and has retained the two handcarts and motorcycle, all operated by three employees.

And Kiprono is not alone.

Across Bomet town, water shortages have created an unlikely industry with vendors using motorcycles, handcarts, tractors, mini-trucks and converted vehicles to move water from rivers and treatment plants to homes, hotels, offices and businesses.

“Lack of water has created a business boom for us because we have stepped in to fill the void,” says fellow vendor Joseph Rotich.

He says some operators have invested in tractors and mini trucks fitted with tanks.

“Walk around town and you will realise that there are many cars that have been turned into water bowsers because of the high demand for this precious commodity,” he says.

The water shortage has become more than an inconvenience but an economy in its own right, one that thrives whenever the taps go dry.

For residents, however, the business opportunity for vendors is a measure of the failure of the public water system.

Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (Bomwasco) has struggled for years to provide a reliable supply to the rapidly growing town.

When the taps are running, vendors collect treated water from the plant near Nyangores River. But when supplies fail, they turn to the rivers themselves and the consequences are felt across the town.

Homes without reliable connections depend on vendors while hotels buy water to keep their businesses running. Offices too rely on hawkers, as construction sites cannot afford to wait for the taps.

And at times, even the county’s biggest health facility has struggled.

Last month, the water crisis at Longisa County Referral Hospital became so acute that patients were forced to fetch water in jerrycans for bathing and washing clothes and utensils.

The maternity ward was among the worst affected during the more than two-week disruption.

The hospital administration disputed aspects of the situation, but supplies were restored shortly after the Nation highlighted the crisis on July 15. Bomwasco water bowsers were used to replenish the hospital’s reserve tanks.

For traders such as Caroline Langat, the episode exposed just how vulnerable essential services have become.

“There is a need for the hospital to drill a borehole to ensure it is self-sufficient in water supplies, which is critical in every health facility,” she says. The water crisis could soon become even more acute.

Bomet University is expecting about 4,000 new students in September, adding thousands of new consumers to a system already struggling to meet existing demand.

Ruth Kemunto Zico, president of the Bomet University Students Association, fears the town is not prepared.

“How can we talk of attracting investors to Bomet town to create job opportunities when we have an acute shortage of water, which is the most precious commodity and one of the key pillars of economic development?” she asks.

She also accuses Bomwasco of failing to repair broken sewer lines, allowing sludge to flow into open areas and, during rains, into streams.

The result is a troubling paradox of a town trying to expand its economy and population while struggling to provide one of the most basic services.

Bomwasco acting managing director Kipngetich Towett attributes some of the recent disruptions to electricity debts and damaged water infrastructure.

The company previously owed Kenya Power Sh29 million, he says, forcing repeated disconnections. At one point, the company could go for up to four months without electricity.

The situation has improved, though and the outstanding bill has fallen to Sh2.2 million, which has since been paid and the company says it can now settle its electricity bill monthly through the county's water department.

But other problems remain.

The original design of the Bomet Town Water Works provided for 1,500 cubic metres of water a day. Its capacity has since been expanded to 4,000 cubic metres. Yet the network itself has taken a beating.

Mr Towett says road construction under the Kenya Urban Roads Authority has damaged water pipelines serving estates and homes.

About 60 per cent of the pipeline network was affected, although half of the damaged section has since been restored. Then there is the cost of producing water. According to Mr Towett, when Bomwasco was established in 2013, Kenya Power charged about Sh11 per kilowatt-hour. That cost has since risen to Sh37, significantly increasing the cost of pumping and treating water.

The county has turned to solar power at the Bomet Water Treatment Works and 14 other schemes in an attempt to reduce the electricity bill.

But even that solution has its limitations. The solar systems are not operating optimally because of inadequate batteries and limited exposure to direct sunlight in the highland area.

The water utility’s firm finances have also worsened the situation. A recent report by the County Assembly Public Investments and Public Accounts Committee found that 14 community water schemes taken over by the company were collectively losing Sh13.96 million every month, nearly Sh1 million per scheme.

The county government provides Bomwasco with a monthly subsidy of Sh8.3 million. Of this, Sh6 million goes towards electricity bills and Sh2.3 million towards salaries.

But the money is barely enough to keep the company running, as Bomwasco has about 14,000 consumers and produces roughly 4.1 million cubic metres of water. Yet only 2 million cubic metres are metered.

The remaining 2.1 million cubic metres are unaccounted for.

Only about 9,000 consumers are billed, meaning roughly 5,000 consumers use the system without paying for the water.

That gap is difficult to sustain for a company already struggling with high operating costs, ageing infrastructure and unpaid bills. Last year, Governor Hillary Barchok appointed new independent directors to help turn around the company.

He tasked them with tackling unpaid bills, illegal connections and damage to water pipes, as well as ageing pumps, high electricity costs and outstanding staff payments.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.

• 

  The village where men queue with their mothers-in-law for water

  How water scarcity in Bomet is forcing Kipsigis men to queue alongside their mothers-in-law, shattering cultural barriers one jerry can at a time

• 

  The 60-year trek ends: Relief for Bomet residents as taps finally run

  After decades of spinal injuries and long walks to River Chepkulo, a new 5km piped network brings clean water and safety to 2,000 residents across six villages

• 

  Ticking time bomb as raw sewage chokes Bomet town 

  Residents hhave been exposed to the risk of contracting diseases including cholera and typhoid.