National Government Development County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee meeting (NGD-CICMC) at the County commissioner’s boardroom in Kericho/KNA
The national government will allocate funds to jumpstart the construction of the Soin-Koru Dam in Kericho County that stalled in September 2023.
Speaking during the National Government Development County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee meeting (NGD-CICMC), Kericho County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo confirmed that the government would allocate funds to continue the construction of the dam, and other stalled projects in Kericho county.
Mr, Kitiyo further urged affected farmers in the Soin-Koru Dam region to continue plowing and tilling their land for food production until the government moves in and starts the project while assuring them that the government would compensate them for their land before relocation is done to pave the way for the construction of the dam.
Speaking at the same forum, the liaison officer in charge of Koru-Soin Dam, Kericho Ms Irine Chemutai, explained the National Lands Commission has submitted a valuation report for Phase II, which requires Sh2.2 billion, which she noted was yet to be deposited to the NLC for disbursement to approximately 1,200 persons for approximately 478 land parcels.
She, however, expressed her concerns that, owing to the time lapse, the parcels of land can be re-evaluated to reflect the current market value for land in the region.
She explained that “the land requirement for the dam constructions, including the treatment works, is approximately 2,170 acres.
The compensation process was divided into two phases, where phase one involved 23 land parcels of the embankment while phase two involved 455 land parcels within the reservoir area.”
Chemutai expounded on the scope of the mega project, saying it will cost the government a total of Sh19.9 billion to complete the construction by August 27, 2027. The government has already made an advance payment of Sh499 million, which is a 2.5 percent advance payment.
The commencement of the project was August 27, 2022, with the contractor of the project being China Jiangxi International Kenya Limited and China Jiangxi International Economic and Cooperation Co. Ltd., a joint venture.
She further explained that the proposed development of the Soin-Koru multi-purpose dam is expected to control floods, contribute towards addressing portable water supply shortages, and improve food productivity and electricity generation to the national grid.
She added that this will be achieved through storage of peak floods and later on increase access to water for domestic livestock and irrigated agriculture purposes as a basic precondition for sustainable livelihoods.
Chemutain further said the Soin-Koru Dam site is located on the River Nyando that forms the boundary between the Kericho District and Muhoroni District, some 5 KM south-east of Muhoroni town, between Koitatui Hill and Got Alila, stretching a span of approximately 135 KM and water storage capacity of approximately 93.7 Mega Cubic Meters.
“The contractor’s overall progress to date is 7.5 percent. The contractor has mobilized equipment and personnel, undertaken topsoil stripping of the dam embankment section, setting up the contractor's camp site, and established other facilities,” Chemutai said.
