Lodwar – 1st August, 2025
The three Water Services providers have partnered with Kenya Water Institute (KEWI) to strengthen their technical capacity on meter reading, billing and revenue collection in order to improve efficiency in water provision to residents.
Supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), meter reading, billing and revenue collection officers have undergone a five-day training aimed at equipping them with advanced technical skills in metering, billing and revenue collection.
The officers were drawn from Turkana Urban Water and Sewerage Company (TUWASCO), Turkana Rural Water and Sanitation Company (TURWASCO) and Kakuma, Lopur and Letea Water and Sanitation Company (KALWASCO). The overall objective of training is to reduce losses attributed to Non-Revenue Water (NRW).
The Water Service Regulatory Board 2023-2024 Impact Report indicates that Turkana’s NRW stands at 56% while the national average at 44% of the total amount of water produced by regulated water providers.
Non-revenue water refers to water that is produced but not billed to customers due to issues such as leaks, illegal connections, vandalism, and other systemic inaccuracies. This high level of NRW have significantly impact the operations of water service providers and the efficiency of water service delivery.
Speaking at the close of the training, Assistant Director of Water Services George Aremon said the training contributes to the department’s vision of “A water secure county with effective governance structures for improved water service delivery and sustainable livelihoods”.
“Water accountability should be a top priority for the water companies. Let every drop count,” he said.
Dr Atsushi Hanatani, JICA Nexus Advisor to the Department of Refugee Services, urged the participants to transfer the skills learnt in the training to their colleagues. This, he said, would improve water services to all residents, including the refugees.
The lead facilitator from KEWI, Walter Moseti, said the training empowered the officers with knowledge to understand the regulator’s key performance indictors which reflect customer satisfaction.
From TUWASCO and responsible for 300 connections as a meter reader, Elizabeth Chepkemboi said she would go beyond just meter reading and follow-up with other departments such as water quality, if any meter’s interior is rusted and covered with algae.
“I will be coordinating with the meter reader so that when I bill a client, it is accurate,” said Pamela Lowa, a billing officer in KALWASCO responsible for 1,800 connections.
She added that accurate billing would encourage clients to pay their water bills on time.
The training “On-site Customised Metering, Billing and Revenue Collection Training” is the first of nine training courses that will be scheduled over the coming months.
