Residents of Methewan village in Lodwar Municipality have gone without piped water for one and a half years, forcing households to buy water every day.
In another part of Turkana County, the water crisis became so desperate that 38 elderly residents from Lorumor Village in Turkana North walked approximately 300 kilometres last December to Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai’s residence in Lodwar to plead for water for their households and livestock.
The residents travelled along bush tracks to seek the governor’s intervention after enduring prolonged water shortages.
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The community has no reliable water point and is depending on a proposed borehole at Nayanae Amoni and a pipeline connection to bring water to the village.
Nearly a year after the residents made the journey, their situation remains unresolved, according to Kaaleng/Kaikor Member of County Assembly Abdifatah Kapua.
“The county government was to pipe the water from Nayanae Amoni borehole to Lorumor village using a 70-kilometre pipeline. Another option is 22 kilometres of pipeline through the rugged hills that separate the two areas,” Kapua explained.
The experiences reflect the scale of the water crisis affecting both urban and remote communities in the largely arid county, despite repeated changes in the leadership of the department responsible for addressing the problem.
Governor Lomorukai has now acknowledged that frequent reshuffles of county executives and chief officers in the water department may have contributed to the persistent shortages, saying changes in leadership have disrupted efforts to improve access.
“The problem that has been with water access across the county is that we have been doing repeated reshuffles. Sometimes, when a minister wants to put his house in order, we distract him with reshuffles. This, I agree, has contributed to the current problem,” he said.
The governor was speaking during the swearing-in of the new County Executive Committee Member for Water, Peter Echapan, at the county government headquarters in Lodwar.
Five reshuffles and counting, but little progress
At the time the elders from Lorumor travelled to the governor’s residence, Lopeyok Akwalata was serving as the County Executive Committee Member in charge of water.
Akwalata was appointed during a June 2025 reshuffle and served until August 2025.
Before appointing him to head the department, the governor had already made several changes to its leadership. Faith Aletia was the first Water Executive, followed by Patrick Losike. Their respective tenures were also marked by repeated changes among County Chief Officers.
On Monday, Governor Lomorukai said Akwalata had left the department after his contract ended. He accused the former executive of failing to focus on improving water access for residents in towns and rural areas.
However, even as he acknowledged that repeated leadership changes had disrupted service delivery, the governor announced plans for another reshuffle, raising questions about whether the latest appointee will have sufficient time to implement the department’s priorities.
“In the coming days, I will do a clear reshuffle for both County Executive Committee Members and chief officers, where we will place them accordingly. They will be placed in the right ministries,” Lomorukai said.
The governor challenged Echapan to translate the administration’s commitments into measurable results, particularly by completing ongoing projects within agreed timelines and standards.
“I expect you to provide strong leadership in translating these commitments into measurable results. Prioritise the completion of the ongoing water projects within agreed timelines and standards. Strengthen the operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure to provide reliable services over time. Improve planning, accountability and prudent use of resources within the department,” he told the new executive.
MCA raises concerns over water cartels
Kapua said elected leaders and senior county officials were also affected by the shortages, with some households forced to depend on water-trucking services.
“At Methewan village within Lodwar Municipality, I buy water daily, and my neighbours, who include a parent of one of the county executives, also do not have water. The village has lacked tap water for the last one and a half years,” Kapua said.
“Till now, nothing has been done,” he added.
The MCA further alleged that cartels were deliberately creating or prolonging water shortages in major towns, including Kalokol, Kakuma and Lodwar, to benefit from water-trucking services.
“If there are cartels affecting water supply in Lodwar, the new Water Executive must deal with them. We have seen them create prolonged water scarcity in Kalokol and Kakuma, and they are worsening the situation in Lodwar,” he said.
Kapua questioned why Lodwar continued to experience water shortages despite having several boreholes, while water-trucking services continued to expand.
“Lodwar currently has the highest concentration of water-trucking services, yet there are many boreholes that need a sustainable pipeline system for every household to easily access water,” he said.
County Assembly calls for investigations
The allegations of cartels have also attracted the attention of the Turkana County Assembly, with Speaker Charles Lokiyoto calling for investigations and greater accountability in the water department.
Lokiyoto said the assembly would continue exercising its oversight role to ensure that funds allocated to the department translated into tangible improvements for residents.
“Our clarion call to the new Water Executive is that we need positive change in the water situation in Turkana. How does Kakuma, where there are many developments in the water sector, have insufficient water for both refugees and locals?” he asked.
The Speaker said allegations of cartels should not be dismissed and called for investigations, while urging staff in the department to work together to address the shortages.
“The cartel issue should not be taken for granted. It should be investigated, and staff in the department should be united for a common cause of addressing water scarcity,” Lokiyoto said.
For residents who have gone months without piped water, the real test of the latest appointment will not be the promises made during the swearing-in ceremony, but whether water finally flows from their taps.