Name of the Project
Thwake multipurpose water development programme.

Location
Kenya.

Client
Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Project Description
The project entails the construction of the Thwake dam at the confluence of the Thwake and Athi rivers.

The project is expected to supply water to more than one-million residents of the Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties, as well as generate 20 MW of electricity to power Konza Tech City, in Makueni County.

The construction of the dam is a Vision 2030 flagship project, jointly funded by the national government of Kenya and the African Development Bank.

The project will be built in four stages.

Phase 1 involves the construction of a 77-m-high multipurpose rockfill dam and associated preliminary works needed to implement the other three phases. This includes one intake tower with three penstocks for hydropower, one draught outlet for water supply, one draught outlet for irrigation, one service spillway and one emergency spillway.

Phase 2 entails building water works to treat and distribute up to 3.46-million cubic metres of water to about 674 700 rural inhabitants of Kitui and Makueni counties, and up to 1.17-million cubic metres to 640 000 inhabitants of Konza City.

Phase 3 will include hydropower and substation development for up to 20 MW of installed capacity.

Phase 4 entails irrigation works for up to 40 075 ha in Kitui and Makueni counties.

Potential Job Creation
More than 1 800 youths will gain direct employment while another 6 000 will gain indirect employment through the project. A further 30 000 local suppliers and subcontractors will benefit directly from the project.

Value
$582-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The Makueni and Kitui county governments have respectively signed a contract to build the Thwake multipurpose dam. The contract is between the Kenya government and China Gezhouba Group Company. It also ensures that construction of the dam located in Kitui County starts immediately.

Construction is expected to start in the next three months. Thwake dam will provide clean water for more than 1.3-million people.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Ministry of Water and Irrigation, tel +254 020 2716103, fax +254 020 2727622 or email ps@water.go.ke.