Mung’aro under fire over Sh1.5bn electricity bill, paralysis of Kilifi water supply

The Senate Committee on County Public Investments and Special Funds, chaired by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, accused the county of failing to account for more than 42 percent of revenue collected from water, despite locals being billed and paying.

While meeting the governor and his executive team to examine the auditor-general’s reports on Kilifi County entities, the Senate said that in the past three months, the devolved unit failed to pay a Sh35.8 million water bill to the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA).

The Kilifi water entities are Kilifi Municipality, Mariakani Municipality, Mtwapa Municipality, Malindi Municipality, Watamu Municipality, Kilifi Mariakani Water and Sewerage Company, and Malindi Water and Sewerage Company.

The Senate said there was a need to address governance and financial control weaknesses across the municipalities, where audit findings painted a grim picture of operational failure and financial distress.

At Malindi Water, non-revenue water rose alarmingly from 16 per cent in the previous financial year to 42 percent in 2024–2025.

Senator Osotsi questioned how such a drastic spike could occur without clear accountability.

“A jump of this magnitude is not normal. It raises a serious question about whether water is being lost through leaks, theft or deliberate manipulation,” he said.

Both Malindi Water and Kilifi Mariakani Water were flagged by the auditor-general as technically insolvent, with material uncertainty over their ability to continue operating. Senators questioned why the county continued to inject funds into entities that could not meet basic sustainability tests.

Nominated Senator Raphael Chimera dismissed the management explanations as evasive.

“You cannot tell us you are insolvent and at the same time claim everything is under control. That contradiction is exactly what worries this committee,” he said, warning that unchecked non-revenue water (NRW) was bleeding the companies dry.

Governor Mung’aro acknowledged the challenges but asked the committee for time.

“We have put turnaround strategies in place to reduce non-revenue water and return these companies to profitability,” he said, without providing timelines or costed targets.

Senator Osotsi questioned the credibility of the response. “Hope is not a strategy. Until you tell us how much is lost, who is responsible, and when it will stop, this committee remains unconvinced,” he said.

Mounting debt 

A report on the status of debts from CWWDA has revealed that water service providers in Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties have a cumulative debt of over Sh5.5 billion.

The water companies had accumulated over Sh900 million in debt before devolution.

Mombasa, Taita Taveta, Kilifi and Kwale counties have accumulated a total debt of Sh4.4 billion from July 2012 to June 2025. Mombasa’s Mowasco owes Sh1.5 billion, Kilifi’s Kimawasco owes Sh949.9 million, Malindi’s Mawasco owes Sh585.7 million, Kwale’s Kwawasco owes Sh589.4 million, and Tavevo in Taita Taveta owes Sh863.4 million.

The four counties also accrued a debt of Sh63.4 million from July to October 24, 2025. Mowasco owes Sh20.7 million, Kimawasco Sh29.6 million, Mawasco Sh6.2 million, Kwawasco Sh30 million, and Tavevo Sh18.2 million.

According to the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), the CWWDA has a debt of over Sh100 million, an accumulated bill for three months.

KPLC Coast Regional Manager Eric Lagat stated that the monthly electricity bill for the water agency ranges between Sh40 million and Sh60 million.

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