Governor Irungu orders water company to stop penalising consumers
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has ordered the Nyahururu Water and Sanitation Company (Nyahuwasco) to stop penalising water consumers Sh1,000 for failing to settle bills on time.
Mr Irungu accused Nyahuwasco, whose major shareholder is the county government, of bullying customers.
With 17,000 clients, 12,000 of them in Nyahururu town and surrounding residential estates, and 5,000 in Rumuruti, Marmanet and other areas depending on the company’s water, Governor Irungu said the fine was too high for consumers who spend an average Sh200 on water monthly.
He said water consumers should only pay for what they consume.
“It is unfair to charge someone Sh1,000 for failing to pay Sh200. If he cannot pay Sh200, how do you expect him to pay Sh1,000?” he said.
He added: “I have directed [Nyahuwasco] to stop that penalty forthwith.”
For a long time, Nyahuwasco slapped consumers with a Sh500 “reconnection fee” if they failed to pay their bills by the time they are due. The penalty was increased to Sh1,000 recently.
Governor Irungu, who recaptured the seat he lost in 2017 to Ndiritu Muriithi, vowed to fix the wrongs his predecessor’s administration had committed, including reinstating doctors sacked four years ago.
Mr Irungu, a former chairperson of the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb), cited complaints he had received from residents of Nyahururu town and its environs about the hefty fine.
In November 2020, Wasreb directed Nyahuwasco to refund its customers over Sh20 million it had charged them irregularly since March 2020.
Nyahuwasco reviewed its water tariffs in March this year as it sought more money to repay a Sh200 million loan taken from the African Development Bank in 2013 that was due for payment.
Under the new tariffs, the water firm charges residential customers who use one to six cubic metres Sh55 for each cubic metre. Those who use between seven and 20 cubic metres pay Sh83 for each cubic metre.
Consumers under the industrial and commercial category who use between one and 50 cubic metres pay Sh95 per cubic metre.
Those under the government category who use between one and 50 cubic metres pay Sh95 per cubic metre, while colleges, universities and schools pay Sh60.
But Wasreb wrote to Nyahuwasco managers to refund the charges, saying it imposed the new tariffs before it gazetted them.
The board had also accused Nyahuwasco of overcharging its customers for sewerage fees and directed that the extra fees be refunded.
“The water tariffs were gazetted vide Kenya Gazette No 2317 of March 2020 and the company misapplied the approved tariffs under different consumption block,” read a letter from Wasreb at the time.
“This leads to overbilling of customers which may be huge depending on the units consumed and customers category.”
The board directed Nyahuwasco to immediately adjust its billing software to generate the correct billing as from October 2020.
It also ordered that the sewerage charges be determined at 75 per cent of the volume of water consumed at the specified tariff for water.
“The approved tariff clearly states that for customers with water connection, the sewerage volumes shall be determined at 75 per cent of the volume of water consumed at the specified tariff for water,” the letter said.
“However, the firm was charging for sewer at 75 per cent at the total water bill thereby over-charging customers.”
Residents had complained about Nyahuwasco’s move to revise its tariffs without consulting them, but the company responded that it needed to get money to repay the African Development Bank loan that now stood at Sh300 million. BY DAILY NATION



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