African Development Bank allots 16 Billion for Thwake Water Project

African Development Bank (ADB) has allotted 16 Billion for a water project in Machakos County for the Konza City development.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Dr Bitange Ndemo has revealed that the funds will be used to construct a dam in the region. The Thwake Dam Project which will be located at the confluence of Thwake and Athi Rivers will be the main source of water to Konza City.

Speaking at KICC during the first Konza City Investors’ Conference Dr Ndemo urged the investors to take advantage of the avenues presented in the City to realize the full potential of the incentives provided by the government.

Opened by Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, the two-day conference will also give an opportunity to IT developers in the country to showcase their work and in the process, seek more funds from donors so that they can improve their innovations and invent more apparatus.

The VP urged private investors especially from the local front to take advantage of the City which presents numerous avenues one can invest in. “Investors ought to take advantage of this City and the government recognizes the role of local investors in developing the economy of the country,” said Kalonzo, adding that the government was commissioned to realizing the Konza dream.

He added that with Kenya being a member of crucial trade blocs, the investors will enjoy incentives from the government as it strives to improve the country’s infrastructure.

“The fibre optic cable has connected the country to the entire world. We have joined crucial trade organizations and the investors should reap from all this especially now when the government is on a mission to revamp the infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications,” said the VP.

Happening a time when the President just returned from the London leading a team of delegates to an investment forum in London after the opening of the Olympic Games, Finance Minister Njeru Githae who had accompanied the President to UK, assured Konza City investors that the country won’t be plagued into chaos experienced in 2007-2008 after the disputed general elections.

“I was in London with the President and he sang the song that the electioneering period will not affect investment in the country and we are not expecting chaos as evidenced in 2007-2008,” said Githae, adding that for the first time direct foreign investments were going up in an electioneering period.

According to Dr David Stower, the PS in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Dr David Stower, the Thwake Water Sanitation Project will irrigate over 3000 ha downstream of the dam.

“The Thwake Dam Project will be a multipurpose one and in addition to providing water to Konza residents, it will also produce Hydro Electric Power of around 20 MW as well as irrigating 3000 ha of land downstream,” said Dr Stower.

The conference which was the first since the Konza City project was initiated, presented opportunities for different investors to come together and see where they can invest in.

The Konza City Project is a flagship project of Vision 2030 which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Technology and spearheaded by the Kenya ICT Board.

The writer is a Communication and Journalism Student at Moi  University