By Alloys Musyoka
The chronic water crisis that has plagued Chasimba location in Magarini Sub-county, Kilifi, may finally be coming to an end. After years of walking long distances in search of clean water, residents from five villages are now set to benefit from a new water project that promises to ease their daily struggle.
The project, valued at approximately Ksh 400,000, has been financed by Italian donors in partnership with the Office of the Magarini Ward Representative. It aims to directly address the acute water shortage that has disrupted lives and livelihoods in the area for decades.
For years, Chasimba has remained cut off from reliable access to clean and safe water. Residents, mostly women and school-going children, have been forced to trek more than 10 kilometers daily to fetch water from seasonal rivers, shallow wells, and unsafe boreholes. The journey is not only exhausting but also dangerous, with many risking attacks by wild animals and losing valuable time that could be spent on farming, business, or education.
“We have suffered for too long,” said one resident, a mother of five from Kadzandani village. “Sometimes we leave home at 4 a.m. and return after midday with just one 20-liter jerrican. Our children miss school because they have to help fetch water. Clean water has been a dream for us.”
Kahunda karisa and Alphonce Kalama jointly said that lack of water has crippled development in the region. Schools have recorded high absenteeism, especially among girls who are often tasked with fetching water before class. Small-scale farming and livestock keeping — the economic backbone of Chasimba — have also suffered, with crop failures and animal deaths linked to water scarcity.
Speaking during the commissioning of the first phase of the project, Magarini Ward Representative Paul Charo confirmed that the initiative is already underway.
“This project is worth around 400,000 shillings. We have already procured three 10,000-liter water tanks that will be installed at strategic points across the five villages,” said Hon. Charo. “This is just the beginning. Our goal is to ensure that every household has access to clean water within a reasonable distance.”
Charo added that his office is actively working on long-term solutions to the water crisis. He noted that they are engaging more donors, the Kilifi County Government, and the National Government to expand water infrastructure, including drilling boreholes, laying pipelines, and setting up water kiosks in villages still grappling with acute shortages.
“We are calling upon more well-wishers, the county, and the national government to join us. Water is life, and no resident of Magarini should be forced to drink unsafe water or walk 10 kilometers to survive,” he emphasized.
The project is expected to serve over 2,000 residents across the five villages, drastically cutting the distance and time spent fetching water. For many, it signals the first tangible step toward restoring dignity and improving public health in Chasimba.
Health officials in Magarini have long warned that consumption of contaminated water from open sources has contributed to frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. With the new tanks and a promise of more permanent solutions, residents are hopeful that the burden of disease will also ease.
As the taps run dry in many parts of Kilifi due to prolonged drought and climate change, Chasimba’s story offers a glimpse of how partnerships between local leaders and international donors can deliver life-changing interventions.
For now, the people of Chasimba wait — not with jerricans on their heads, but with cautious optimism that the water flowing into their new tanks will mark the end of a decades-long thirst.
