Solar panels on the roof of a house next to a water treatment site at Bomet Water and Sanitation Company on July 4, 2025. The solar panels are part of a project to solarise water in the county.
Perennial water shortages in Bomet have been a blessing in disguise to John Koech, a vendor who has made a living out of the pain the residents have been subjected to.
John started off three years ago by supplying water using a handcart, before upgrading a year later to a motorcycle and eventually a Toyota Probox car, which he bought using proceeds from the business.
“Supplying water to residents of Bomet town is my only source of livelihood; it pays my bills. I charge Sh20 per jerrican and I am able to supply 2,000 litres daily, earning an average of Sh2,000 daily,” Mr Koech said.
Peter Langat, a businessman, supplies the residents using a 4,000-litre water bowser that he bought a year ago on credit, and he has been able to pay off the Sh1.4 million.
“I bought a second-hand lorry and converted it into a water bowser, and I have not regretted it going into the business,” Mr Langat said.
Mr Langat said, “The water shortage in Bomet town has provided a good business opportunity for some of us. Statistics will tell you that there are so many people venturing into the water supply business due to its high potential for profit”
Ms Beatrice Chelangat, a resident, said the residents had been subjected to untold tribulations over the water shortages that have not been addressed in the last seven years.
This photo, taken on July 4, 2025, shows solar panels on the roof of an office at the Bomet Water and Sanitation Company.
“Unfortunately, the water shortages have been on and off for the last seven years, yet the county has not offered a lasting solution. We are exposed to the risk of contracting waterborne diseases as a result of drinking raw water from local rivers supplied by vendors,” Ms Chelangat said.
The water shortage that has persisted for over nine months in Bomet town and its environs is a result of the failure by the Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (Bomwasco) to pay Kenya Power over Sh28 million for electricity supply.
It comes as 3,150 first-year students are set for admission in August to the Bomet University College (BUC) in what will add pressure to the county to supply more water to the residents.
Sot Technical Institute in the nearby Merigi trading centre has the largest population of students, which currently stands at 6,000 with the management seeking to push up the numbers to 10,000 by October this year, thus pushing up the demand for water.
The cash strapped Bomwasco has not paid its workers Sh259 million in the last 19 months which includes failure to remit statutory deductions to – Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Pay As You Earn (PAYEE), Housing Levy, Social Health Assurance (SHA), Pension Schemes, loans deductions to banks and Saccos among others.
The Governor’s offices, county assembly, County offices, national government offices, including the County Commissioner’s offices, Huduma Centre, the police headquarters and the sub-county police station – have been without water for a long time and mostly depend on trucks for supply of the precious commodity.
Some of the affected institutions are Siloam, Brooklyne, Agha Khan, Tenwek Annex hospitals, Bomet University College, hotels, bars and night clubs, Sot Technical Institute, banks and slaughter houses.
Toilets at the Bomet Green stadium are clogged and unfit for use due to lack of water, yet it hosts most of the public events in the county.
The county government of Bomet is now banking on solarisation of all its water projects under a World Bank-funded Financing Locally Led Climate Action Program (FLLoCA) so as to cut the operation costs at Bomwasco and return it to profitability in the long and short-term plans.
The World Bank programme (FLLoCA) seeks to address climate-resilient actions, empower counties to plan, budget, implement, and monitor climate actions in partnership with local communities and county governments.
Water bowsers owned by the Bomet Water and Sanitation Company in this photo taken on July 4, 2025
It mainly focuses on water, agriculture and health sectors in a bid to address socio-economic issues that are core to the well-being of the benefiting communities.
Water infrastructure is an expensive undertaking, which has been aggravated by the high electricity costs that informed the shift from traditional power supply to solar energy by the devolved government unit.
In the long term, the county is looking at water supply by gravity as a game-changer that would further cut operation costs at Bomwasco.
A total of Sh 56 million has been channelled to the initial solarisation project in the water projects that is expected to turn around the production and supply system of the precious commodity to benefit the residents in Bomet town which is water-stressed at the moment.
“Solarisation has been adopted in Bomet town and Longisa water projects in a bid to lower the cost of pumping, operations and maintenance in the facilities” Mr Solomon Kimetto, the Chief Officer for Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change.
The county has also rolled out solarisation in four community boreholes – Kapsir (Boito), Lelkatet (Chemaner), Chepkolon (Merigi) and Teganda (Ndaraweta), .in part of the ongoing programme.
“The department of water is offering infrastructure support to Bomwasco under which a solarisation program has been on-boarded as part of the efforts to enhance water supply to the residents” Mr Kimetto said.
Mr Kimetto said “Solarisation of the water projects is a double-pronged approach to cost-cutting measures and adoption of the use of green energy in the county”
The huge solar panels have been mounted on the roofs of the water pumping stations, and some are laid on a raised ground by the Nyangores river where the water pumping station and treatment plant are domiciled.
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok, in this photo taken on July 2, 2025.
It has emerged that the company spends Sh 80 million annually on electricity supplies to the water treatment and pumping stations, and that for months, it has not paid Kenya Power pending bills, leading to disconnection.
Mr Kipngetich Towett, the Bomwasco acting Managing Director, revealed that the county had in the last two months paid Sh 21 million electricity bill the company owes Kenya Power, but reconnection has not been effected.
“The problem we are faced with is that the electricity bills for all our water projects have been amalgamated by Kenya Power, making it mandatory for us to pay them one off as opposed to handling each account individually” Governor Hillary Barchok said.
Professor Barchok said the county was banking on solarisation to turn around the fortunes of the company and supply residents with water.
The high cost of operations at Bomwasco was aggravated by the taking over of 14 community water schemes in the four sub-counties – Bomet East, Bomet Central, Sotik, Chepalungu and Konoin – which are loss-making outfits with electricity supply challenges.
The schemes make monthly losses of Sh 13,961,455 according to records tabled before the County Assembly Public Investment and Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Boito Member of the County Assembly Charles Langat.
Bomwasco produces 4.1 million cubic metres of water, but only 2.0 million cubic metres is accounted for through metered billing with 2.1 million cubic metres lost for lack of metering.
The company has 14,000 water consumers whose taps have run dry. On average, a total of 9,000 of consumers are billed for the supplies when operations are normal.
While the company is said to be valued at Sh 278 million, it is heavily indebted to suppliers and employees.
Bomwasco, owned by the Bomet county government, owes workers Sh 259 million in the last 19 months, in what has demoralised the employees.
The company paid Sh 32.6 million to 32 employees who took a voluntary early retirement package late last year, but still has 96 in its payroll following non-renewal of contracts for 38 others.
Bomwasco owes suppliers large sums of money and has not paid a former Managing Director Sh 10 million severance pay after he moved to court to challenge his removal from office in what was against terms and conditions of service.
The county government provides subsidies to Bomwasco of Sh 8.3 million on a monthly basis, money of which has not been consistent, according to the company management.
The Senate has recommended the formation of a Special Taskforce to look into the operational and management challenges at the cash-strapped Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (Bomwasco) and recommend immediate turnaround measures.
Bomet Water and Sanitation Company (Bomwasco) is a firm owned by Bomet County. It has not been able to supply water to residents for the last eight years due to high electricity costs.
It (Bomwasco) has not paid its workers for over 19 months with arrears including statutory deductions having accumulated to Sh 259 million as of April, 2025.
It has not supplied water to residents of the region for the last eight months, with Bomet town being the most affected, due to the disconnection of electricity by Kenya Power over an unpaid bill of Sh 28 million.
The County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee, chaired by Senator Godfrey Osotsi has recommended the immediate formation of a Special Taskforce to look into the operation, management and cash flow challenges the company is facing.
Senators want the Taskforce membership to be drawn from professionals in water, accounting, engineering, management, relevant government institutions and the private sector.
Mr Osotsi said the team should be put in place immediately, and a report on the findings and recommendations should be submitted within 60 days, which would enable a turnaround of the company from a loss-making institution to a profitable one.
Mr Osotsi and fellow committee members – Ms Agnes Kavindu Muthama, Peris Tobiko, Beth Syengo and Hillary Sigei – made the recommendations a week ago while on a fact-finding mission at the county on operations at the loss-making Bomwasco.
The Senator held a meeting with Governor Hillary Barchok, Deputy Governor Shadrack Rotich, Chief Officer for water Mr Solomon Kimeto and Bomwasco management led by acting Managing Director Kipngetich Towett.
“There is a huge systemic problem that needs an urgent but long-lasting solution. In the fullness of time, a solution will be found, but the residents and the employees will have to wait a little bit longer,” Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei said.
Mr Sigei said, “That the Bomwasco workers have gone without salaries for 19 months, yet they still report to work every morning and render their services to residents is heartbreaking. They have families and bills to pay, but are unable to do so, yet they are in gainful employment”
Senators Kavindu and Tobiko said it was unfortunate that the residents of the region had gone without water, an essential commodity, for several months without a solution in sight.
“We can not circumvent the law and our oversight role, even as we seek to assist the county government in finding a solution to the problems facing the water company. We will prescribe a bitter pill for its recovery and ensure all the gaps are addressed,” Ms Tobiko said
Ms Kavindu said, “The management of Bomwasco and the county government needs to face the issues head-on so as to find a lasting solution. We can not pretend that things are working and that a miracle will be found, when it is clear the situation is getting worse”
The residents of Bomet are looking forward to the issue being solved to enable the dry water taps to run again.
