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Over 5,000 people in Ndiguini area of Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County, will benefit from a water project sponsored by the EABL Foundation to a tune of Ksh8.4 million.
The contribution was utilised for mapping, drilling, equipping a 330m deep borehole, and the construction of a 24m³ elevated steel-pressed water tank. The borehole yields 5,400 litres of water every hour, which is enough drinking water for about 2,700 people per day.
Lack of access to safe drinking water has been a major contributor to health problems for most people in Ndiguini. Prior to the project, families in Ndiguini would walk for up to 3km to access water that retailed at between Ksh20-30 per 20litre container. This is now a thing of the past as the communities will now buy the 20litre container at between Ksh5-10.
The project was commissioned by Hon. Kimani Ichung’wa, MP Kikuyu Constituency, Jane Karuku, the East African Breweries PLC (EABL) CEO and MD, and the Ndiguini community.
Hon. Ichung’wa commended EABL Foundation for its contribution to accelerating the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) agenda.
“Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) are crucial in the attainment of human dignity and the prevention of diseases among our people. It is unfortunate that some of our people still struggle to access this special commodity – although we are making progress toward alleviating the situation,” the MP said.
“Our domestic water supply has recorded a noticeable growth over the years; 35 percent of the county population has access to potable water. While we celebrate this progress, we are keen on accelerating the pace and therefore, most sincerely thank EABL Foundation for joining the Kiambu County government in achieving this for our people,” Mr. Ichung’wa concluded.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Karuku emphasized that the company was keen on its People’s interests and well-being as part of its sustainability agenda.
“At EABL, we have adopted an extensive sustainability strategy dubbed Society 2030: Spirit of Progress to ensure that our operations and value chain support the empowerment of people and the conservation of the planet,” she said.
“We understand that we cannot build in isolation and are committed to creating shared value and growing with our communities for long-term benefits. We achieve this through various projects, among them – Water for Life – which provides access to clean and safe water for communities across the East African region. In Kenya, we have completed over 75 water projects in the last decade, which are benefitting over 2.5 million people across the country,” Ms. Karuku added.
Lastly, the project team collaborated with Kikuyu constituency to train key project personnel on the operation and management of the project. This is geared towards ensuring the sustainability of the project.