M-PESA Foundation, in partnership with the Kwale County Government, has installed a solar-powered water pump at Nyalani Dam in Kwale County. About 22,000 residents in the area are set to access water in their homes and farms from the project.
The Ksh.15 million project is expected to boost food production by supplying 105 acres of farmland with water for irrigation. The pump will distribute water to homes to promote health and sanitation among residents. Part of the project will enhance agricultural enterprises by provision of farm input such as seeds and tools to farmers in the area following the availability of water from the dam.
“At Safaricom, through our Foundations, we have been able to ensure water availability to communities either on a small scale or a large scale. As M-PESA Foundation, we dedicated ourselves to supporting the residents of Kwale County by rehabilitating the Nyalani Dam which is crucial for the water and agricultural needs of the people,” said Les Baillie, Executive Director, M-PESA Foundation.
The foundation and the Kwale County Government in 2014 implemented an integrated disaster risk reduction project which. The project would address several integral needs including food security, water supply, improved sanitation, hygiene awareness, nutrition awareness, health care interventions as well as economic stimulus through formation of agriculture cooperatives.
The M-PESA Foundation, one of Safaricom’s CSR arms, invested Ksh. 231 million while the county government contributed Ksh. 25 million to aid in rehabilitation of Nyalani Dam to attain a water storage capacity of approximately 1 million cubic meters for irrigation, domestic and livestock usage.
Other interventions of the project are empowerment of farmers with knowledge and skills through agricultural extension services, creating nutrition and hygiene awareness to improve health outcomes and training various community groups for the sustainability of the project.