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{
    "id": 87790,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/87790/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 199,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mrs. Ngilu",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Water and Irrigation",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 111,
        "legal_name": "Charity Kaluki Ngilu",
        "slug": "charity-ngilu"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to assure hon. Members that I will never allow misappropriation of public funds allocated to my Ministry for water and irrigation development. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, let me touch on the performance of this company which is important for the water services provision in Nairobi. Athi Water Services Board is one of the eight water services boards under the Ministry, with a mandate of water service provision in the City of Nairobi and Kiambu County. Hon. Members will recall that the creation of water companies had a noble intention of improving water services countrywide through decentralization and practicing good governance values. Creation of these companies left the Ministry’s role to be policy formulation and direction. When the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company was established, it was expected to add value to water service provision within the city by using the revenue collected to improve services. When the company was established, it performed satisfactorily as witnessed by an increase in revenue from Kshs140 million to Kshs300 million per month between 2004 and 2006. However, serious corporate governance weaknesses cropped up which culminated to deterioration in water services provision, corruption, and nepotism, among other ills. Mr. Speaker, Sir, at the height of drought last year, which hon. Members witnessed, the company had more or less gone to its knees prompting direct intervention by the Ministry through drilling of boreholes in Nairobi and water trucking. This was happening, despite water consumers paying their bills promptly and even higher bills that they were charging. It was not clear to me where part of the revenue collected from water was going as residents of Nairobi continued to suffer. As the Minister for Water and Irrigation, I have obligations to ensure that water services are offered to consumers. Therefore, in consultations with the other relevant arms of the Government and the City Council of Nairobi, a change of management was put in place in June 2010 which has so far shown remarkable improvement in the performance. For instance water revenues have increased from Kshs250 million per month to Kshs350 million within one month and this month, Kshs460 million, which obviously shows that there was over Kshs100 million. We have not completed doing all the work that we are doing to ensure more resources from the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company. The Right hon. Prime Minister ordered the Efficiency Monitoring Unit to investigate the poor performance of the company. The preliminary report from the EMU has shown that in order to have a strong board of directors, there is need for effective stakeholders consultations in Nairobi before board members are appointed. The report has recommended that these consultations by Athi Water Services Board in consultation with the City Council of Nairobi and Water Services Regulatory Board be in place."
}