Governor Iria dispatches plumbers to reconnect water as wrangles with firms continue

Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria. He dispatched over 150 plumbers to reconnect water supply after disconnection. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • About 200 residents reported to the county government after their water was disconnected.

  • The governor issued a directive to supply residents with free water until new accounts are created for payment of water bills.

Murang’a County water woes have taken a different direction after Governor Mwangi Wa Iria dispatched over 150 plumbers to reconnect supply which had been disconnected by the water firms after consumers failed to pay their bills before the deadline.

The governor said his directive to give free water to the residents still stands saying the residents will continue receiving free water until he announces new accounts where the monies will be channelled.

His move comes even as the water companies sponsored an advertisement in vernacular radio stations urging consumers to settle their bills in time to avoid disconnections.

The firms’ advert seeks to counteract that of the governor which urges locals not to pay their water bills until the county government announces new accounts.

Speaking at Ihura while issuing equipment to the plumbers, Mr Iria tasked them to ensure that no water is disconnected adding that the county government had issued a hotline for locals to call in case their water is disconnected.

"I issued a directive that no water consumers should pay for their water bills, some water companies have ignored my directive and have continued to disconnect water to the consumers.

"Water is a devolved function and I'm equipped with two court rulings that Muranga High Court issued when they sued me," the county boss said.

He added that Ihura Stadium would act as a temporary camp where people whose water has been disconnected would be reporting so that they can have supply restored.

Mr Iria further announced that his administration will ensure that all the water meters are replaced with digital ones where consumers will be using tokens to pay for their water bills.

"They have been using outdated meters that end up giving wrong information about water usage and I will not entertain that, from next week, the plumbers will be changing all the meters and replacing with digital ones," he noted.

About 200 residents had reported to the county government after their water was disconnected.