The Ksh.82 billion Thwake Dam project has seen its completion date postponed by the national government four times.

This comes after the main contractor, China Ghezhouba Group Company, informed Water Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Njeru that it would not meet the February 4, 2024 deadline.

Although sources who attended a meeting chaired by the CS at the site claim the contractor wanted more time to finish the dam by December, the State and the contractor have now agreed that the dam will be completed sometime in October.

Over Ksh. 22 billion have been spent on the project thus far, most of which came from funding provided by the African Development Bank.


Though much work still needs to be done at the dam, the funds represent nearly 90% of the total required to complete the project's first phase.

"Tumeafikiana na contractor kwamba huenda tukauongezea muda ili waweze kukamilisha. Mambo mengi wameleta ni mambo ambayo hawangeweza kutatua kwa mfano mradi huu umekuja wakati kulikuwa na Covid-19 na pia tunajua bei ya vitu vingi imeweza kwenda juu…hata hivyo tumeafikiana na tukakubaliana kabla ya mwezi wa kumi hapo hivyo watakuwa wamemaliza mradi huu," Njeru said.

Since then, controversy has plagued China Ghezhouba Group, which has repeatedly halted operations due to cash flow issues.

Laborers have abandoned their tools because they were not paid, and equipment theft at the location has also affected the project. Since then, concerns have been raised about the project's use of the Ksh. 22 billion.


In addition, the primary contractor and a subcontractor have been involved in legal disputes regarding nonpayment.

The dispute started in 2021 when JTG Enterprises insisted on getting paid for finishing the spillway works.

China Ghezhouba Group Company filed an appeal on August 9, 2023, challenging a court decision that mandated the principal contractor to give the subcontractor nearly Ksh. 700 million.

CS Njeru has ordered the contractor to finish his work regardless of legal disputes.

"Unapoenda kutafuta kazi huwa uko na uwezo na tumekubaliana kwa sababu wakati mwengine pesa itachelewa atafute pesa…serikali ikitoa pesa anarudisha na kesi iko mahakamani wao watamaliza kesi yao kwa sababu ndio waliopelekana mahakamani," said Njeru.

Residents of Kitui and Makueni counties, who had been waiting impatiently for the dam to be completed so they could benefit from access to water, have lamented that they are growing increasingly hopeless.