Elgeyo Marakwet Residents Demonstrate, Want ELDOWAS MD Removed
Hundreds of Moiben Kuserwo residents in Marakwert West, Elgeyo Marakwet County held demonstrations calling for the removal of the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company Managing Director Peter Biwott.
They said Biwott has failed in his mandate.
They now say they will disrupt the flow of water from Chebara Dam to Eldoret.
“We demand the removal of Mr. Biwott, we have not benefited from any Corporate social responsibility being undertaken by the company at Chebara water catchment, our roads, and schools are in a pathetic condition, and we lack hospitals even though due to the Chabara dam many of the locals are susceptible to malaria and other diseases and he company has not helped either, “They said.
“As the host community since the launch of this project in 1998, we have not benefited, many of our youth have been employed on a contractual basis for over 9 years now, as soon as last week one of the directors who represented the community in the water board was unfairly fired” added a resident.
They claimed that the management of ELDOWAS has unfairly targeted the Local community by dismissing some of the local youth and even terminating some of the contracts.
The community issued a 24 hrs ultimatum to Eldowas to reinstate the local youth that have been dismissed as well as reinstate the fired director failure to which they will be forced to disrupt water flow from Chebara dam to Eldoret.
Chebara Dam contributes close to 34,000 cubic meters of water to Eldoret town and its environs.
However, ELDOWAS Managing Director Peter Biwott dismissed the claims terming them politically instigated.
‘I have been the MD for the last 1 year, during my tenure I confirmed 60 youths into permanent and pensionable terms, The Senate has dismissed all the 9 directors of Eldowas following a report from the auditor general and not one as claimed by the community,” he said.
“We have grown over 10,000 trees in Chebara and we plan to grow over one Million trees in all our water catchment areas,” Biwott
The MD further called on legislators within its catchment areas to partner with the Company and the Water Resource Authority and the relevant county governments in addressing some of the concerns raised including poor road infrastructure.
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