For years, Coast residents have endured the frustration of turning on dry taps. Now, a Sh5.5 billion debt crisis threatens to make the region’s water shortages even worse.

Four water companies serving Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Taita-Taveta counties have been cut off from bulk water supplies after failing to settle their outstanding bills, deepening a crisis already marked by shortages, ageing infrastructure and unreliable distribution.

The Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) said it disconnected TAVEVO Water and Sewerage Company, Kwale Water and Sewerage Company (KWAWASCO), Malindi Water and Sewerage Company (MAWASCO) and Kilifi-Mariakani Water and Sewerage Company (KIMAWASCO) after repeated demands for payment went unheeded.

In a customer alert on Tuesday, the agency said the companies had failed to meet the requirement to settle all their outstanding bulk water bills.

“The disconnection has been undertaken due to outstanding water bills and failure by the respective Water Service Providers to settle 100 per cent of their water bills as required,” the agency said.

The debt, captured in Auditor-General records for the 2024/2025 financial year, exposes the financial strain threatening the sustainability of water services across the region.

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The timing could hardly be worse. The Coast already has a combined daily water deficit of about 327,000 cubic metres, with demand substantially exceeding available supply.

The latest cuts therefore risk turning a financial problem into a wider economic and social crisis, particularly in rapidly growing urban centres where households, businesses and tourism depend on reliable water supplies.

TAVEVO serves Voi, Mwatate, Wundanyi, Taveta, Mackinnon, Maungu and Mbololo in Taita-Taveta. KWAWASCO supplies Kwale Town, Ukunda, Diani, Msambweni, Lunga Lunga and Kinango, while MAWASCO serves Malindi, Watamu and surrounding areas. KIMAWASCO covers several parts of Kilifi County, including Rabai, Kaloleni, Ganze, Kilifi South and parts of Kilifi North.

Behind the mounting debts are persistent operational problems, including leakages, illegal connections, outdated meters, ageing infrastructure and poor revenue collection.

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An audit of MAWASCO for the 2023/2024 financial year found the company had incurred a loss of about Sh1.04 billion. The Auditor-General linked the losses to illegal connections, outdated meters, leaking infrastructure and reliance on flat-rate billing.

Electricity debts have compounded the problem. Unpaid power bills have affected pumping stations in parts of Kilifi, while Kenya Power has previously disconnected some facilities over outstanding debts, further disrupting distribution.

From right: Daniel Mwaringa, chairperson of the Coast Water Works Development Agency board, director Judith Wabosha and Mwatate MP Peter Shake test the newly installed water taps during the launch of the Mwarondo borehole project on November 12, 2025.

Photo credit: Lucy Mwanjala|Nation Media Group

The result is a damaging cycle: water companies struggle to pay the bulk supplier, consumers receive unreliable services, revenue collection suffers and debts continue to grow.

The disconnections have also reignited debate over how the Coast’s water resources are managed.

In Taita-Taveta, nominated MCA and Minority Leader Peter Shambi criticised the decision, saying residents of Voi and surrounding areas had suffered repeated shortages despite the county hosting Mzima Springs, a major source of water for the region.

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Mr Shambi said TAVEVO inherited more than Sh600 million in historical debts incurred before its establishment and urged the national government to waive the liability rather than allow repeated disconnections.

“Mzima Springs, the source of this water, is located in Taita-Taveta County. It is unacceptable for our people to watch water originating from their county being taken elsewhere while they struggle to access the same resource,” he said.

He called for a restructuring of the bulk-water arrangement and proposed that TAVEVO be empowered to manage and distribute water from Mzima Springs, including supplying neighbouring counties at affordable rates. The dispute comes as population growth, tourism, industrial expansion and urbanisation drive demand higher across the Coast. Mombasa relies heavily on water transported from sources outside the county, while expanding towns in Kilifi, Kwale and Taita-Taveta continue to strain existing infrastructure.

Clearing the Sh5.5 billion debt may provide immediate relief, but it will not resolve the underlying weaknesses that created it.

Unless water companies address illegal connections, leakages, poor metering, ageing infrastructure and weak revenue collection, the region risks falling back into the same cycle — leaving residents to bear the cost through unreliable supplies.

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akitimo@ke.nationmedia.com