Turkana County Government is negotiating with Almar Water Solution on the construction of the Kenya’s desalination plant.

The horn of Africa is experiencing one of its worst famine in recent times due to the elongated drought putting some part of the country in disarray. According to UNICEF, (in 2018 alone) an estimate of 500,000 people in Kenya lack access to good drinking water in Kenya with Turkana as one of the three counties suffering from the extreme drought condition.

The Government of Kenya in the fight against drought in the country has adapted desalination as a system to provide drinkable water for their citizens. The deal with Almar water Solution to construct the desalination plant is expected to be completed soon with the plant estimated to cost about USD 48.2 million to USD 96.5 million.

If Almar Water is awarded this contract, it will be the second opportunity that the company has taken in the desalination sector in Kenya. The company is currently involved in the implementation of a US $160m seawater desalination project in Mombasa County together with Aqua Swiss, a company based in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva, Switzerland.

According to Tito Ochieng, the director of water services in Turkana County, the discussions are at an advanced stage and an agreement could be reached within a matter of a few months.

“The investor is in the course of validating a business that would involve privatizing the water and selling it to water companies, while promoting access to water for the local population,” he explained.

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