Project Status



Project Type:  Well Rehab

Program: IcFEM Water Projects

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase: 
Community Managed
Implementing Partner Monitoring Data Unavailable
Initial Installation: Oct 2013

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is part of IcFEM's WaSH program, which includes multiple water source schemes as well as substantial community level hygiene promotion, and training on project operation and maintenance. 

 What follows is a brief project outline direct from our partner: 

 The borehole is found right in the heartland of Kolait Shops village, Kolait sub-location, Angu’rai location in Busia County. The area is rich in agricultural production mainly specialising in producing tobacco (as a cash crop), cassava, bananas, millet, maize, beans and livestock. 

Rainfall amount ranges between 750mm and 1,800mm per annum. Most of the region is typically remote with grass thatched houses and a majority depend on boreholes, springs and seasonal rivers to get water for domestic use. 

Kolait Shops village benefited from the boreholes construction programme done by KEFINCO (Kenya Finland Company) in 1984-85. The borehole has been in use until one year ago when the whole pumping system fell into disrepair. The pump had been repaired several times previously through community contribution but this has since stopped. The owner of the land on which it sits who was also the Chair of the first committee had also repaired it 3 times through his own initiative.

The main reason given by the community for the failure of the site was a weak water management committee which did not know its role due to lack of proper empowerment. This meant that when the pump broke down, they were unable to mobilize the community to do repairs. Again, no organised handing over of the site to the community was done by KEFINCO. Rivalry among community members and political competition infiltrated the committee weakening it further.

The community now uses the nearby spring which is 1 kilometre away but is not protected exposing the people to the risk of water borne diseases like typhoid and diarrhoea. 

The people are willing to join hands again and restore the site to noble use for the benefit of the community and reduce the risk of diseases. Hence, there’s need to rehabilitate the borehole as a matter of urgency. 

We're just getting started, check back soon!


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Project Type

Well rehabilitation is one of the most cost effective ways to bring clean, safe water to a community.  Sometimes it involves fixing a broken hand pump, other times it means sealing a hand dug well to prevent it from being contaminated.  These repairs, and often time total replacements, coupled with sanitation and hygiene training make a huge impact in communities.