Coast

Mombasa water vendors reap big as fresh water shortage bites

A water vendor in Mombasa as access to fresh water bites in the county. (Photo: Khadija Abdi)

By Farhiya Hussein | Friday, January 26, 2024

A 20-litre jerry can of fresh water now sells at Sh50 up from Sh20 due to increased demand.

6Locals in Mombasa County are facing hard times gaining access to fresh water as vendors reap big from the business, The Eastleigh Voice has learnt.

Residents have expressed their frustrations of having to buy the basic commodity frequently despite living near the sea.

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Aisha Abdalla is among the coastal residents whose rented apartment has a running tap but still chooses to buy water from the vendors.

“It is hard to survive in Mombasa County. Here in Majengo, we survive by having borehole water from the taps. We use this water for other household chores but when it comes to drinking and cooking, we have to buy water,” she says.

She used to live in the Bamburi area, Mombasa County before relocating hoping to get ready access to fresh water.

Observations by The Eastleigh Voice revealed most houses in the coast region consume borehole water instead of fresh water.

Aisha says she buys a 20-litre jerry can for Sh50.

“I stay with my husband and an in-law, so we go for the 20-litre jerry can which does not last two weeks. Water is really expensive these days,” she says.

Frequent purchase

Naima Kassim, another resident, complains of the same scenario of buying water frequently.

“It is true. The water from the taps has been left only for washing clothes and the house. But if you want drinking water, you have to go to supermarkets or water vendors,” says Naima, adding that it reached a time when she gave up buying the commodity and decided to consume water from the tap.

Naima says most of the time, she prefers to travel to Malindi, her mother’s homestead where there is ready access to fresh water every day.

Mombasa women waiting to be supplied with water as access to fresh water bites in the county. (Photo: Khadija Abdi)

However, water vendors are making a kill, turning the situation into a lucrative business.

Chengo Kalume, a water vendor in Mombasa County says selling of the basic commodity has helped him survive the harsh economic times.

“Most residents find it hard to consume the salty water running from their taps. Therefore, they prefer buying water from us,” he says.

“The selling of water is something I wanted to try out, but it turned out to be my main source of income. Before, we used to sell 20 litres of Jerry can for Sh20, but since the commodity is in demand, now it goes for Sh50,” says Kalume.

He says people call him to supply water as early as 4 am.

“I use the rickshaw to supply water. In a day I can supply up to 40 jerry cans and earn Sh2,000,” says Kalume.

Protests

Last week, Mombasa residents from the Bangladesh area protested over water shortage complaining that cartels are taking advantage of the situation to profit themselves.

In 2021, Mombasa County awarded Spanish and Swiss companies a multibillion-shilling tender to desalinate seawater in Mombasa, something the residents are still waiting for.

The plants were to produce at least 130,000 cubic meters of freshwater, one in Nyali or Kisauni and the other in Likoni.

In 2018, the then Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui in his visit to Mombasa, said the government settled on a 650 million seawater desalination plant in Lamu County.

“We cannot have the sea here and then go without fresh water for days whereas a technology is in place to have this water used domestically,” Chelugui said.

The plans have since stalled with Mombasa residents in the dark about whether they will ever get fresh water from their taps.