Partnerships Result in 3 Boreholes for Machakos Community

Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Syokimau and Nairobi Magharibi last month commissioned three boreholes in Kyaani, Ngu-Nyumu and Mitaboni areas of Machakos County. This was the culmination of a partnership with Novartis, Davis & Shirtlifff, and Equity Group Foundation that saw the total rehabilitation of the boreholes which will serve up to 11,000 people.

Speaking during the launch of the three boreholes the Machakos County Deputy Governor, H.E. Eng. Francis Maliti said that the tripartite partnership between the county government, private sector and Rotarians will benefit more than ten thousand people in the County.

“For many years, the local community would trek tens of kilometres in search of water. The three high yielding (two 8 cubic metres & one 15 cubic meter) solar powered boreholes will ensure provision of clean water to not only the residents in the locality but also to the local hospitals and schools. This helps create a cleaner energy sources thus reduce the negative effect on our climate.” he explained.

Machakos County receives approximately 600 mm of rainfall annually. However, the spatial temporal distribution of rainfall has contributed to lack of consistent flow of clean water to the populous county, which is home to about 1.26 million people. Therefore, beyond reliance on surface and rain water supply, the County has continuously worked towards augmenting the natural means with alternatives such as boreholes, water pans, large dams, and distribution of the water.

Cluster Head at Novartis, East Africa Anthony Mwangi was at hand to endorse the project at the launch saying, “At Novartis, we envision a world with equity in health for all, and thus we are keen on actionable solutions that contribute to driving improved healthcare across the continent, of which access to clean water contributes highly.”

As part of the exercise, Davis and Shirtliff donated equipment Kes 1 million that will go into the rehabilitation of the three boreholes in Machakos County through the Rotary sponsorship. Managing Director Edward Davis lauded the partnership with Rotary and the project saying that D&S was glad to lend their resources and expertise as the leader in water & energy solutions, to improve the lives of the Machakos County residents through increased access to clean water.

In addition to the boreholes, Equity through this partnership has committed to planting 15,000 trees at Kyaani, Ngu Nyumu and Mitaboni in Machakos county as part of its 35 million tree-planting initiative, and in support of government’s goal of increasing the country’s forest cover to 10% by 2022. So far, Equity has planted over 5 million trees countrywide, most of which have been planted in schools to encourage learners to adopt trees and become green champions in their communities.

The Rotary District 9212 that covers Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea has been consistently engaging the local community on its community greening agenda and this partnership is in line with their agenda of meeting and exceeding the combined demand of water per day in Africa.

“We are honored and humbled to work together with these organizations to build enduring solutions to some of the most pressing, deeply rooted challenges in this County. In addition, we invite other like-minded companies and organizations to join us in creating this paradigm shift in health equity. “The Deputy Governor concluded.