Residents of Makueni and Kitui counties have defended the Sh100 billion Thwake Multipurpose Dam project, saying opposition to its construction risks delaying an investment expected to transform agriculture and livelihoods in Kenya’s Lower Eastern region.
The residents say the dam offers a long-term solution to chronic water shortages that have constrained farming, discouraged investment and left communities vulnerable to recurrent droughts.
Their support comes amid renewed controversy over claims by some households that construction-related blasting damaged their homes, with affected residents reporting cracks on walls, windows and foundations.
However, several locals insist that compensation assessments were conducted and that individual grievances should be addressed through established procedures rather than used to derail the project.
Martin Kimeu, a resident of Wote, said inadequate water infrastructure had for decades prevented communities in Ukambani from exploiting the region’s agricultural potential.
“Ukambani is fertile. Water has been the biggest impediment to the realization of our agricultural potential. Thwake Dam water is the clear solution to this,” he said.
“Let us keep petty politics off this intergenerational project. I have been following up on its construction since inception. I can proudly say that everything is above board, from the compensation exercise to construction.”
Jacob Mwanzia, a resident of Madangi Village, also questioned the campaign against the project, arguing that its anticipated benefits outweighed isolated complaints.
“I was shocked to see a group calling itself the Thwake Dam Blasting-Affected Community Committee peddling what I consider misinformation to the media,” he said.
“Those are self-serving individuals blinded by cheap politics. My home is closer to the project. Most people in my area were well compensated and are satisfied.”
His neighbour, Mariam Mwikali, said property assessments had been conducted and residents given an opportunity to raise concerns.
“I was horrified to see a few people peddling allegations against the project on television,” she said.
The dam is now 94.2 per cent complete, with the government targeting April 2027 to begin impounding water, according to Principal Secretary for Water and Sanitation Julius Korir.
The project is expected to supply 150,000 cubic metres of treated water daily to approximately 1.3 million people in Makueni and Kitui counties and Konza Technopolis in Machakos County.
It will also support an irrigation scheme covering 40,000 hectares of agricultural land, potentially opening up opportunities for commercial farming, food processing and agricultural trade.
The project has a planned storage capacity of 688 million cubic metres and will include a 20-megawatt hydropower generation facility.
Korir told the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation that the government had secured additional funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to overcome cash-flow constraints that had slowed construction.
“In terms of government commitment to completing this dam, it is very evident. When we ran short of cash, we engaged with our development partners, and they allocated additional funding, and this money will now go towards total completion of the project,” he said.
The compensation dispute, however, remains a concern for some households.
In August 2026, residents from Mavindini Ward, organised under the Thwake Dam Blasting-Affected Community Committee, sought an independent review by the AfDB, alleging that blasting had damaged homes and community facilities.
They demanded access to assessment reports, photographs, valuation records and repair estimates, arguing that some properties had been excluded from compensation.
Agile Consulting was subsequently selected to conduct an independent assessment covering households within a two-kilometre radius of the project.
The consultant’s director, Ben Mwongela, said the exercise involved reviewing blasting records, vibration data and regulatory compliance, as well as documenting structural defects and estimating repair or reconstruction costs.
An AfDB field assessment report dated October 21, 2026, acknowledged the professionalism of experts involved in the project and advised households with unresolved grievances to follow established procedures.
With construction nearing completion, residents say the priority should now be ensuring that the dam delivers its promised benefits to communities that have endured years of water shortages.