By YOANA KIMWELE.
The inhabitants of Kitui have Expressed untold euphoria and happiness after the Kenya Kwanza Government floated an advert to rebuild the Stalled Uma dam.
The stalled Umaa Dam has been of great interest to the people of Kitui and her environs after leaders abandoned the mega projects for the reason better known to them.
When President William Ruto took over the reign of the Government, the Ps for Water Mr. Rono Visited Kitui County and held talks with Governor Malombe, and promised to build the infamous Dam.
The contractor of the stalled multimillion Umaa dam is said to have been paid Sh536 million even though construction has stopped according to the reports.
The contractor, Draft and Development Engineers, demanded to be paid Sh1.6 billion but after verification of the claim, the amount was reduced.
The National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation said the construction of the dam, on the outskirts of Kitui town, started in 2009 and stopped in 2010.
The dam is meant to supplement the supply of water to the town from the Masinga-Kitui pipeline.
A report from the NWCPC, recently renamed National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority, says that the complete project would cost Sh824 million.
The report by the government parastatals general manager for construction Eng. Ali Hassan was presented to the National Assembly Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, which visited the Umaa dam site last year.
The report said that the Sh1.6 million bill demand to NWCPC, under whose purview the project was being implemented, came when the corporation and the contractor were seeking an amicable settlement.
Umaa dam project once completed is meant to store up to 870 billion litres of water and serve 75,000 people in Kitui town and its environs.
Once done, Umaa dam will be one of the *major water projects in the Lower Eastern region and will go a long way in reducing water scarcity among the population.
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