AfDB approves €235.8m loan for Kenya’s dam

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved two loans worth €235.763 million to the Kenyan government for the construction of a multi-purpose dam (Thwake dam), that will store water, produce electricity and enable irrigation.

The 80.5m high multi-purpose dam which is to be constructed on Thwake River in southern Kenya, will have a storage capacity of 681 million metric cubits of water, of which 625 million cubits will be used for electricity production and downstream irrigation of agricultural land; 22 million cubits for upstream irrigation and 34 million for human use, according to the AfDB.

“This is a strategic water supply project for the large semi-arid area of Makueni County and surrounding regions, including the new technology city of Konza,” the AfDB noted in a statement.

A break down of the facility reveals that €192.570 came from bank and €43.193 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGFT).

“This additional support follows a €76 million loan granted by the Bank in 2013 to start building the dam as part of the Thwake Multi-Purpose Development Programme (TMWDP), which aims to provide drinking water, hydroelectric energy and irrigation,” the bank stated.

It added that construction in the initial phase of the TMWDP project should be completed in December 2022, and will be followed by three further phases:1) the construction of hydraulic plants to treat up to 34,600 m3 of water for household use for 674,700 rural inhabitants and up to 117,200 m3 for 640,000 residents in the technology city of Konza; 2) hydroelectric energy production; 3)  40,000 ha of irrigation.

The bank said its €3.2 billion Kenya portfolio comprises 33 operations, with water and sanitation operations accounting for about 22 percent of the portfolio’s value for the public sector.