The Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS) has announced a two-month amnesty to locals that have illegally been connected to their water and sewerage lines.
Under the amnesty, those illegally connected to their services will not be penalized, but instead, the company will regularize their connection.
The amnesty is part of the revenue mobilization month that Eldowas Managing Director Peter Kibet Arap Biwott launched on Monday, September 19, 2022.
Speaking during the launch, Biwott said the campaign is aimed at addressing the high Non-Revenue Water (NRW) that the company incurs annually.
“Our Non-Revenue Water is currently at 39 per cent which is costing us Ksh450 million per year yet we spent a lot of money in production. Sewer lines are working but a lot of people are using them for free,” he said.
“We have issued out an amnesty to anyone with an illegal connection. We have forgiven them. Those that come out we will formalize and ensure they are connected well,” he added.
Aside from seeking to ensure all illegally connected water and sewerage lines are regularized, Eldowas is also hoping to collect over Ksh650 million from customers that have failed to pay their bills within the last 10 years.
The debts, Biwott notes, if paid, can build up to 10 kilometres of new sewer lines, distribute water to many clients as well as upgrade all water dams to their original level.
“We want to do this so that we can be able to achieve our revenue targets,” said the Eldowas MD.
Zero bills
He also revealed that there are at least 15,000 water meters that have been registering zero bills which they hope to be corrected to enhance revenue collection.
Already, the company has purchased 10,000 meters they will use to replace the old ones and reduce NRW.
“There is a lot of work that we need to do. It will not be easy. It’s going to be painful for all of us but we need to collaborate to ensure the water we have reaches everyone,” said Biwott.
During the revenue mobilization month, Eldowas staff led by the MD will be moving around the Eldoret Municipality sensitizing members of the public on the need to ensure they are legally connected to water and sewer lines, pay their bills on time as well as play their role or protecting the water they get.
