A Chinese contractor has abandoned the site of the Sh20 billion Soin-Koru Multipurpose Dam Water Project, which straddles Kisumu and Kericho counties, raising fresh concerns over the fate of one of President William Ruto’s flagship water infrastructure projects.
An audit report has revealed that China Jiangxi International Kenya Limited, the contractor behind the project, was not on site when officials from the Office of the Auditor-General conducted an inspection, casting doubt on whether the dam will be completed within the scheduled timelines.
The National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority awarded the contract for Lot One of the Soin-Koru Multipurpose Dam Water Project, covering the dam component, to China Jiangxi under a joint venture arrangement on May 11, 2022, at a contract sum of Sh19.99 billion.
The project is being undertaken through a joint venture between China Jiangxi and its parent company, China Jiangxi International Economic and Cooperation Company Ltd.
The project commenced on August 27, 2022, and is scheduled for completion on August 27, 2027.
However, a physical inspection by auditors revealed that little progress had been made despite the project having consumed nearly three years of its implementation period.
“The contractor is not on site,” Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu noted in the audit report for the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority for the financial year ended June 2025.
It is unclear whether the contractor has since returned to the site.
Efforts to obtain a response from China Jiangxi were unsuccessful. A company representative contacted by the Business Daily had not responded to questions sent via text message by the time of publication.
The Auditor-General’s report further revealed that several critical components of the dam had either not commenced or were significantly behind schedule.
Among the works yet to begin are the construction of a 54-metre-high zoned earth rock-fill dam, diversion culverts, coffer dams, seepage control works, grouting, diaphragm walls, relief wells and laboratory testing facilities.
The contractor had also not started construction of Intake Tower B, river diversion works, road pavements, drainage structures, access roads, water abstraction facilities, hydropower infrastructure and security installations.
Only the side-channel spillway, comprising a concrete-lined chute and plunge pool, had commenced, with auditors estimating progress at about 15 percent.
The Auditor-General also observed that the resident engineer’s offices, laboratory and staff houses remained incomplete.
Project stakes
The latest setback threatens to derail a project that the government has repeatedly described as critical to improving water security, flood control, irrigation and industrial development in western Kenya.
The multipurpose dam, which will sit on approximately 2,170 acres along the Kisumu-Kericho border, is expected to store 93.7 million cubic metres of water.
The project is designed to supply 72,000 cubic metres of water daily for domestic and institutional use, irrigate about 2,570 hectares of land and generate 2.5 megawatts of hydropower.
Areas expected to benefit from the project include Kisumu City, Ahero, Chemelil, Miwani, Awasi, Muhoroni, Koitaburot, Koru and Rabuor.
The dam is also expected to help contain perennial flooding in the Nyando basin while supporting agricultural production in surrounding areas.
The project has been earmarked as a key off-site infrastructure investment supporting the planned 1,000-acre Kisumu Special Economic Zone in Miwani and is listed among the flagship projects under Kenya’s Vision 2030 development blueprint.
Construction activities began in 2023 following compensation of affected landowners. The project displaced an estimated 1,200 residents.
The findings come at a time when China Jiangxi is facing scrutiny over other public projects.
The company was previously questioned by Parliament over the troubled Hazina Trade Centre project owned by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Legislators raised concerns over the reduction of the building from 36 floors to 15 floors without a corresponding reduction in contract costs and amid questions over documentation supporting the variation.
Separately, the Auditor-General has raised concerns over delays in the Sh1.96 billion Umaa Dam Water Supply and Irrigation Project in Kitui County, which is being implemented by a joint venture involving China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Company Ltd and Vanqo Roads and Engineering Ltd.
