Construction of the Mwache Dam project in Kenya is set to begin before the end of the year. Coast Development Authority (CDA), Managing Director (MD), Dr. Mohamed Keinan announced the Authority has finished rehabilitation works ahead of the project launch.

The Mwache Multipurpose Dam development project under the portfolio of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation is a priority investment by the National Government as a flagship project under the Vision 2030.

“We have completed activities around the project site such as tree planting, terracing, contour ploughing, rock terracing, gabion construction and riparian marking and pegging. The land conservation measures made will go a long way in preserving the top-soil within the Mwache drainage system. CDA is the executing agency of rehabilitation works, while the Ministry of Water, through the Project Management Unit (PMU), is the overall implementing agency of the project that is expected to offer a lasting solution to the water shortages facing residents of Kwale and Mombasa counties,” said Dr. Keinan.

Harness floodwaters

Plans to begin the construction of the dam were given fresh impetus when the government secured the required funding partly from its revenue and from the World Bank. The Dam site is located across the Mwache River at the Fulugani village in Kinango Sub- County, Kwale.

The million dollar project entails the construction of an 87.5 meter-tall concrete gravity dyke with the capacity to hold up to 118 million cubic meters of water. The dam will harness the floodwaters from the Mwache River basin in Kinango Sub County and help tackle persistent water shortages in the coastal region.