Uasin Gishu residents are up in arms after water service provider Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (Eldowas) increased water tariffs by 300 per cent, meaning they will be paying three times more than what they did before.
Furious residents including traders, heads of institutions, and religious leaders were Monday holed up at a meeting at Highlands Hotel to discuss the way forward, with all lamenting against the Eldowas decision.
The new tariff has already been implemented, subjecting residents to huge water bills never experienced before.
Shocked and angry residents have consequently moved to court under a certificate of urgency to petition Eldowas to suspend the new tariffs until the issues raised are heard and determined. The Association of Residents will also present a petition to the Uasin Gishu County Assembly challenging the increase.
Domestic users, commercial users, water kiosks, educational institutions, and the hospitality sector have already started feeling the pinch of the new tariffs.
Some traders, especially car wash operators like Lucy Njeri lamented that they have been slapped with water bills higher than their monthly earnings following the implementation of the new tariffs.
She was among those who attended the Eldoret City protest and said she was shocked when she received a water bill of Sh30,000, yet her business generates Sh24,000 monthly. She termed the move by the water company as a threat to investors in Eldoret City.
In an October 4, 2024 Kenya Gazette Notice No 12825, Eldowas adjusted the water and sewerage services tariff and noted that it had been granted permission to do so by the regulator, Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb).
The Eldowas management has defended the decision, with General Commercial Manager Fredrick Kwambai Kosgey noting that the adjustment is pursuant to the application of tariff adjustment made by the company in January 2024. He claimed it was recommended by stakeholders in the meeting at Uasin Gishu Social Hall on May 15, 2024.
Mr Kosgey said the revenue to be collected from the increase will be used to revamp the water supply by improving pipes, and sanitation, among other vital services to improve the quality of water in the region.
“This increase is for the good of residents because we are going to use returns to better services, including facing out old pipes which have been in existence since 1924,” said the Eldowas Commercial GM.
Mr Patel Raju, a trader in Eldoret City who received a water bill of over Sh7,000 from Sh2,000 for October, said he has never seen such a huge bill the entire time he has lived in the town, terming the new tariffs outrageous.
“I have been paying Sh2,600, but this month I received a bill of more than Sh7,000. This is strange in Eldoret, milk is cheaper than water. This change has affected the prices of other commodities, including hotel services and other critical institutions,” he said.
Following the increase, parents in the county now fear that schools will also increase school fees next year.
Kapsoya Estate resident Tom Murgor said low-income earners will be burdened with the increase since landlords will be forced to increase rent to meet extra expenses.
“As a landlord, I will not hesitate to increase rent to meet the extra bill and it is my tenants whom we commonly refer to as husters are going to suffer. Is this what this government promised hustlers,” he wondered.
Another Kaspoya resident Stephen Keter, who hardly consumes 20 liters of water per day, was shocked to receive a water bill of Sh3,874 up from his normal rate of Sh500 per month, while Lyn Ng’eno, who has been paying Sh700 per month, received a bill of Sh4,030 following implementation of the new tariffs.
“I am not aware of the public participation in the new tariffs. The only time I saw this change was through my November water bill. It is unfortunate that Eldowas is out to make the life of residents harder given the current economic hardship we are facing,” he protested.
Despite the uproar from residents, Eldowas has insisted that the new charges are here to stay, insisting that the increase is meant to help improve service delivery to residents.
“Residents ought to comply and pay their bills as per the new tariff. The increase is meant to ensure a sufficient supply of water to all residents, especially residents in informal settlements such as Huruma, Langas, and Munyaka among others who have been receiving water on a rationing basis,” Mr Kosgey, the company's General Commercial Manager said.
He argued that the increase will instill discipline in water consumers and encourage them to embrace good habits to reduce water wastage.
Political activist Kipkorir Menjo said the manner in which the tariffs were increased was unconstitutional and unjustifiable. He said the increase will scare investors in the new North Rift city.
He wondered why Eldowas company had increased the tariffs yet water supplied in Eldoret City is not pumped electrically since it depends on gravity.
“Even if they wanted to increase the tariffs, 300 percent is too much. It is now official that the most expensive city in Kenya is going to be Eldoret,” he said.
Malesi Shivaji, the CEO of Kenya Water and Civil Society Network (Kewasnet), says the current water system infrastructure has greatly contributed to water shortages in cities since it is incapable of serving the accelerating number of people in urban centres in the country.
