BY SHAABAN MAKOKHA
February 17, 2026/ For the residents of Mumias, the promise of clean water from the tap turned into a worrying trickle of brown. For two months, fears of a disease outbreak simmered as discolored water flowed through pipes, pushing a county’s flagship water project into crisis mode. This is the story of how a community’s outcry sparked an emergency operation to save their water supply.
For countless households, the simple act of fetching water is a time-consuming and physically draining task. As climate change intensifies water shortages, the need for sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. This reality has pushed both national and county governments to prioritize household and institutional water connections, ensuring communities directly benefit from public water sources.
Progress has been made. In 2024, UNICEF reported that 59 percent of Kenyans had reliable access to safe drinking water, a notable rise from 47 percent in the year 2000. Counties like Kakamega have developed policies to not only improve water access and reduce the distance to sources but also to create employment opportunities for youth and women. A key part of this vision is Kakamega County’s ambitious plan to connect over 500,000 residents to clean, piped water by 2027 under its Last Mile Connectivity programme.
However, this dream faced a severe test in Mumias Sub-county when a discolored substance was noticed in the drinking water, sparking fears of a potential waterborne disease outbreak.
For the last two months, households and trading centers in Mumias were underserved as reports of the mysterious discoloration surged, triggering an outcry against the supplier, Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Company (KACWASCO). Residents like Vicky Hamadi described the water running from their pipes as brown, mixed with soil particles. “We fear a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases, especially amoeba,” she lamented.
Another resident, Rashid Wamukoya, said the problem began in December of the previous year, but their initial complaints to KACWASCO were ignored. “I raised the issue in its formative stages, but nothing was done. This escalated to February when the situation worsened,” he pointed out.
The turning point came on February 10, 2026, when the water company finally embarked on a mission to address the quality concerns. Water supply was temporarily shut down as a technical team began troubleshooting the cause of the contamination. Management conducted site visits, tracing the network from clients’ houses all the way back to the Nambacha Treatment Plant in Navakholo Sub-county.
Mariam Were, the Kakamega County Water and Sanitation Services Chief Officer, stated that a technical team from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation was brought in to intensify interventions. “We received the concerns on social media platforms, but no one formally reported the matter to our offices,” she told the media on February 13. “However, our technical team initiated corrective measures, and the problem has now been resolved.”
A multi-agency team comprising public health officials, county government officers, and KACWASCO leadership launched a full inspection of all the company’s facilities. The extensive exercise involved the rehabilitation of reservoirs, rigorous treatment and cleaning of water sources, storage tanks, and distribution points, as well as maintenance of the large elevated tanks at Ekero. The Chief Officer urged residents to immediately report any future safety concerns to enable swift action.
Michael Ogol, the KACWASCO Managing Director, acknowledged that the contamination was an unprecedented issue, prompting the formation of the multi-agency team. The investigation traced the problem to the Nambacha Treatment Plant and storage tanks.
Mr. Ogol explained that the root cause was likely other river users discharging waste upstream. He confirmed they had engaged the Water Resource Authority to assist in profiling the river to prevent future incidents. “We discovered that there was sediment accumulation at the Nambacha Treatment Plant and immediately launched desludging activities to eliminate it. This was a key intervention aimed at restoring water clarity and quality,” said Mr. Ogol. Water samples were taken to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for analysis to confirm the source of contamination.
The team then moved to the Ekero Water Supply Point, a 50 cubic meter facility serving more than 4,500 households. “KACWASCO is actively engaged in the cleaning, rehabilitation, and maintenance of all its water storage tanks. These initiatives are aimed at removing accumulated sludge, algae, and bacterial biofilms that can lead to waterborne diseases,” added Mr. Ogol.
He detailed the rigorous 5-to-7 step cleaning procedure, which included dewatering the tanks, physically removing debris, high-pressure washing and scrubbing of interior surfaces, and finally, disinfection using approved agents to eliminate bacteria like E-Coli. “What I know is that the water was physically contaminated. Had it been biologically contaminated, we could be talking of several casualty cases,” he noted. He promised that regular maintenance would now be conducted every 6 to 12 months to prevent future health risks and extend the infrastructure’s life. The exercise was closely supervised by Moureen Aura, the KACWASCO Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
Mr. Ogol reassured customers in Mumias and its environs that the issue has been resolved, reaffirming the company’s commitment to providing clean, safe, and reliable water.
The Sh1.7 billion Nambacha water plant, established in 2014, supplies water to Matungu, Navakholo, Mumias East, and Mumias West sub-counties. These bulk water systems were designed to improve distribution efficiency and reduce water losses.
Beyond the crisis response, the county government continues to make strides through Governor Fernandes Barasa’s “Amatsi Khumuliango” (water at the doorstep) programme, which has connected an additional 6,400 rural households to clean water. This has helped improve the county’s overall water access rate to 74 percent, up from 62 percent in 2022, with a target of exceeding 90 percent by 2027. These efforts are supported by partnerships with organizations like the Western Kenya Water Project, Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, and The Water Project.
Despite the progress, Eng. Ogol decried ongoing challenges, including the destruction of water pipes during road construction and the increasing theft of solar pumps and other equipment. “Our major challenge is tackling illegal connections and water theft. Consumers illegally tapping water lines allow mud and other infiltrations to get into the line, compromising the integrity of the entire system,” he lamented.