Bwaga Moyo residents celebrate clean water breakthrough

Lewnida Sara (in red T-shirt), Task Team Leader for the World Bank–funded Water and Sanitation Development Project (WSDP), and Habiba Ali, Ag. Managing Director of MAWASSCO, assists a resident in Bwaga Moyo at a water kiosk in Mwakirunge Ward, Mombasa County, during a project visit. The kiosk serves 1000 households and is one of 30 World Bank–funded water points in the county/HANDOUT

Residents of Bwaga Moyo village in Mwakirunge Ward, Mombasa County, are celebrating the commissioning of a new water project that has brought clean and safe water closer to their homes.

The project has effectively ended years of struggle in accessing the vital resource.

For decades, families in the area depended on distant rivers and unsafe water sources, exposing them to waterborne diseases and forcing women and children to spend hours fetching water. The newly commissioned project has now changed that reality.

The water project, supported by the World Bank–funded Water and Sanitation Development Project (WSDP) in partnership with Mombasa Water Supply & Sanitation Company Ltd (MOWASSCO), serves approximately 1,000 households, marking a significant milestone in enhancing water security in the community.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, residents expressed overwhelming joy, describing the project as life-changing.

Omazi Hare, who leads a local women’s group in the area, said the project has brought much-needed relief to women and children.

“We have been walking long distances to the rivers with our children to fetch water. The time spent on fetching water is now used to do other things,” she said.

According to Hare, the availability of water within the village means women can now focus on income-generating activities and childcare instead of spending hours trekking to riverbanks.

Joseph Katama, another resident, echoed her sentiments, noting that the entire community has benefitted.

“Boheka village has really benefitted from the project. People come from other areas to get water, they come with carts on motorcycles,” he added.

He said residents are grateful to all stakeholders who made the project possible, adding that it has significantly reduced their suffering.

Katama also recalled the health challenges they previously faced due to unsafe water.

“We used to have a lot of diarrhea diseases, especially among children. The water we used to get from the river was not that safe, it was also a bit salty,” Katama explained.

“We did not have any options at the time, so we still went back to the river.”

Lewnida Sara (in red T-shirt), Task Team Leader for the World Bank–funded Water and Sanitation Development Project (WSDP), and Habiba Ali, Ag. Managing Director of MOWASSCO, assists a resident at the Bwaga Moyo village water kiosk in Mwakirunge Ward, Mombasa County, during a project visit/HANDOUT

The project site was visited by Habiba Ali, Acting Managing Director of MOWASSCO, alongside Lewnida Sara, Task Team Leader for the WSDP, who assessed the impact of the initiative on January 15, 2026.

Acting MD Ali described the project as a breakthrough initiative managed by a women-led, community-based organisation, noting that it not only improves water access but also empowers local residents.

“Before putting the kiosk here, women were struggling to get clean, safe water. They were struggling to get water, which was not guaranteeing quality,” she said.

She explained that through collaboration between the World Bank, the County Government of Mombasa, and MOWASSCO, the water kiosk was successfully established.

“It is now serving close to 1,000 households, impacting a bigger part of the Bwaga Moyo community,” Ali said.

Ali noted that the kiosk is currently the only water facility in the area but revealed that plans are underway to expand water access to other parts of Mwakirunge Ward.