Kenya Plans to Raise KES 30 Billion to Launch Mzima Springs Water Supply Expansion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 27, Kenyan President William Ruto announced that the government plans to launch the expansion of the Mzima Springs water supply project within 2026 and raise KES 30 billion in construction funds through the National Infrastructure Fund. The project's water supply coverage will include Mwatate, Voi, and Taveta in Taita-Taveta County, and will continue to supply water to the coastal city of Mombasa.

Kenya's existing Mzima II water supply project is being advanced by the Coast Water Works Development Agency, with plans to build approximately 220 kilometers of water transmission pipelines to convey water from Mzima Springs in Taita-Taveta County to the Mazeras storage facility, with a designed transmission capacity of 105,000 cubic meters per day. Kenya's PPP Directorate currently lists the project as being in the project development and feasibility study stage, with a planned construction period of 3 years and an operation and maintenance period of 27 years.

Current PPP project information shows that Mzima II has an estimated total investment of approximately KES 50.6 billion, adopts a build-operate-transfer model, and has China's Sichuan Road and Bridge Group as the project proponent, with service coverage spanning four counties: Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, and Kwale. The plan published by Kenya's investment promotion agency also includes storage facilities and supporting water transmission and distribution infrastructure, and lists the project's overall investment scale at approximately USD 389 million.

Kenya's finance authorities previously disclosed that Mzima II is planned to use water transmission pipes with a diameter of approximately 1.2 meters, with a designed daily water transmission volume of 105,000 cubic meters. The project proposal received first-round approval in August 2024 and entered the project development and feasibility study stage. The government's current proposal to raise KES 30 billion through the National Infrastructure Fund adds a new government financing arrangement for the Mzima Springs expansion, but publicly available information has not yet clarified the specific capital structure and cost-sharing ratio between this funding and the existing KES 50.6 billion Mzima II PPP plan.

The Kenyan government's early planning has already listed the second Mzima water transmission pipeline as a key water supply project for the coastal region. After the project is completed, the pipeline will transmit additional water from Mzima Springs to the coastal region and set up water supply nodes along the route in areas such as Taita Taveta. According to the latest government arrangement, the next substantive milestone will be the securing of National Infrastructure Fund financing and the commencement of project construction.