Kenya sets January 2027 water storage at Thwake Dam as review presses for progress

Kenya has set January 2027 as the target for beginning to store water at Thwake Dam, following the contractor's return to the site in August 2026. A joint review by the African Development Bank Group and Kenyan government officials examined the work needed to reach that milestone, including financing conditions, contractor mobilisation and unresolved concerns affecting nearby residents.

The five-day mission, held from 21 to 25 September 2026, assessed the first phase of the Thwake Multipurpose Water Development Program. The dam is being built where the Athi and Thwake rivers meet, on the border of Makueni and Kitui counties, about 180 kilometres south-east of Nairobi.

Water, power and irrigation planned for the region

When completed, the programme is expected to supply water to about 1.3 million people in Kenya's rural Lower Eastern counties, generate around 20 megawatts of hydropower and support irrigation on up to 40,000 hectares of farmland. Samuel Alima, Water Secretary at the State Department for Water and Sanitation, said his department had submitted a concept note to the National Treasury seeking financing for those downstream components. They include water supply and sanitation systems, irrigation infrastructure and the proposed hydropower plant. Alima confirmed that work had resumed at the dam site in August and outlined the government's January 2027 target for impounding water.

Financing conditions and contractor coordination need attention

The mission was led by Nancy Ogal, the African Development Bank Group's task manager for the project. Participants included senior officials from the National Treasury and the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, the Water Secretary and members of the Program Implementation Team. Their review covered project performance, oversight of project funds and compliance with environmental and social safeguards.

Discussions centred on four priorities: meeting the conditions for the first disbursement of the €68.39 million Additional Financing II loan approved in May 2026; resolving outstanding health, safety, environmental and social issues under an agreed action plan; addressing grievances from homeowners affected by construction; and fully remobilising contractors at the site.

In a separate meeting with the contractor and supervising consultant, the mission called for closer coordination between them and the ministry. Ogal urged the ministry to process the contractor's payment certificates promptly, and the team reviewed progress towards meeting the additional loan's disbursement requirements. The review also highlighted the need to protect the reservoir's useful life.

"Implementation of the proposed sedimentation control project is critical for prolonging the useful life of the dam reservoir and should be prioritised alongside implementation," Ogal said.

Residents seek compensation for construction damage

The mission visited the Mukameni Borehole Water Project in Kitui County and met residents whose homes had been affected by blasting associated with dam construction. Bank Group officials stressed the importance of timely compensation for affected people, placing residents' concerns alongside the engineering and financing issues that need attention as work advances.

The team also called for robust monitoring of the programme's environmental, health and social performance. Addressing those outstanding issues forms part of the work required to move the project forward and manage its impact on surrounding communities.