The Gatundu Water and Sanitation Company has received 2,000
new water meters, boosting its efforts to enhance water service delivery and
ensure accurate billing for customers.
The meters came under a financial assistance programme that
provides support to water companies from the government.
The programme is called the Conditional Liquidity Support Grant
2 Intervention 11 Project.
The primary objective is to replace old and faulty meters
that have been contributing to billing disputes and revenue losses for the
water company.
It will ensure customers receive fair and transparent
billing based on actual consumption.
Mary Njoki, a resident of Kamwangi town, expressed optimism
about the meter replacement project, saying old meters had caused frequent
billing disputes in her area.
“We have been
receiving inconsistent bills for months due to faulty meters,” she said.
“This replacement will bring clarity to our water bills and
help us plan our household budgets better.”
The modern water meters represent a major investment in
upgrading the area’s water infrastructure.
The exercise is set to begin in strategic locations around
Kamwangi town, Gatukuyu, Mang’u, Ngorongo center, Igegania, Kanyoni, and
Gituamba, targeting areas, where meter malfunctions have been most problematic.
The advanced meters come equipped with unique tracking codes
for identification purposes, providing enhanced security features that make
them virtually impossible to resell if stolen, addressing a common challenge
faced by water companies across the country.
The installation of tracking codes on the meters represents
an innovative approach to combating theft of water infrastructure, which has
been a significant challenge for many water service providers in Kenya.
By upgrading to reliable meters with anti-theft features,
the company aims to enhance operational efficiency, reduce non-revenue water
and ensure sustainable service delivery to more than 15,000 customers across
Gatundu North constituency.
The constituency is in Kiambu county, which is in Central
Kenya.
