The construction of the dam is one of the controversial projects that characterized former president Moi's administration in the late 80s and early 90s. The Kerio River has two main tributaries, the Embobut River and the Arror River, both of which f… Flying back home from a presidential trip to Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in May 1980, Nicholas Biwott, then-minister of State for Regional Development, had moved from his seat at the front - next to President Daniel Moi - to the back, next to then-Energy minister Munyua Waiyaki. NAIROBI, Kenya, May 6- Two major dams in Masinga and Turkwel are full beyond capacity, a disaster in waiting for people living around and downstream. Ferguson's Bay, on which the fish project was built, finally disappeared from the map in the early 1980s, leaving a Norwegian fishing vessel - christened Uji - stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere! Water is also released from this dam to supply Kano City. The project is located in Kenya. With the current rainfall being experienced and projected near normal rainfall in the catchment area around Mt Elgon during this October to December season, the dam is expected to fill up and overflow in November 2020.” In government records, the story of the two dams appeared for the first time in 1985, when the infamous Turkwel Dam was mooted in the same region. The least he should have done to thank the President is to let Turkwel project go through. [2] General Directorate of Water Recourses,Iraqi Kurdistan Region "Shaqlawa MA Project Water Resource Conflict in Kenya: The Case of Turkwel Dam and Pokot-Turkana Relations, 1984-2015 By Andreas Nandelenga Submitted in partial fulfilment of Master of Arts in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies University of Nairobi 2019 . Turkwel Dam is expected to fill and spill for the first time. Besides dismissing the report by a foreign agency with hands-on experience and knowledge of the terrain on which the dam was built, the Kenyan government declined cash assistance to conduct its own research on the viability of the project. The Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station, also Turkwel Dam, is an arch dam on the Turkwel River . The Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station, also Turkwel Dam, is an arch dam on the Turkwel River about 76 km (47 mi) north of Kapenguria in West Pokot County, Kenya. Like Cabinet Secretary … (Bastora) Dam and Irrigation Project Design- Volume1" B y El Concorde / MWH, 2007. “It has a capacity of 1.6 billion m3 covering an area of 6,500 hectares and Kenya’s highest dam at 150 meters. Poacher and Drug Trafficker Mansour Extradited to the U.S. metres and covers 6500 hectares. NAIROBI, Kenya, May 6- Two major dams in Masinga and Turkwel are full beyond capacity, a disaster in waiting for people living around and downstream. KVDA is mandated to plan, initiate, co-ordinate and monitor implementation projects that transcend administrative boundaries within KVDA's area of operation. In it he wrote: "The French contract and financing conditions are extremely disadvantageous for Kenya. Turkwel Dam. It has 4 unit(s). 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The project was started in 1966 but came to operation in 1970 through joint effort of Ministry of Agriculture who provided recurrent costs and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) who provided capital cost and technical personnel. Almost 30 percent of the work is … The controversial Turkwel Dam was built by the Kenyan government from 1986 to 1991 with the help of France. The Turkwell Gorge Hydro Electric Dam Project was commissioned in 1986 and completed by French company Spie Batignolles in 1991. The two counties straddle KenGen PLC’s Turkwel hydropower station that generates approximately 106 MW from the Turwel Gorge Dam. Turkish Dam Project Threatens to Submerge Thousands of Years of History A contentious dam project that dates to the 1950s is more than 80 percent complete, and the filling of a … To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. 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The dams in question are Masinga and Turkwel with the former having already exceeded its reservoir capacity to 1057.86 against its normal 1056.5 above the sea level. Ngong Hills Wind Farm ... the NDA has issued Letters of No Objection for more than 20 project proposals to the GCF for approval and funding since 2015 out of which 5 projects have been funded. Long before the Turkwel project was mooted, they were first on the ground with the establishment of a community fishing venture that was supposed to change eating habits of the Turkana - from beef to fish - and interest them in a cash economy through exportation of frozen fish. The people I am calling 'donkeys' are Tugens, Keiyos, and other pastoralists in Rift Valley.". For most Kenyans the dam remains what the Kenyan Press in 1991 called 'the whitest of white elephants'. Kerio River. After all, who are Norwegians to tell us what not to do in our country?". It is a multi-purpose project that includes Hydropower, agriculture development, fisheries, and tourism development. The Turkwel and the Kerio are largely seasonal rivers and Lake Turkana almost entirely depends on water from the Omo River where construction of the Gibe III dam started in 2006. First, he would scheme to have himself appointed the minister for Energy. There was a problem processing your submission. Biwott had a message for his Cabinet colleague and wanted to pass it while they were up in the skies, and away from anyone else's earshot. 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On return from Paris, Finance minister Saitoti - with Biwott egging him on the side - told the media with a straight face that on completion, the Turkwel project would be "the most cost-effective source of Kenya's future power generation". We also maintain a liaison between ourselves, the Government,the Private sector and other agencies on matters of development. The project was to depend on waters from the now extinct Ferguson's Bay on Lake Turkana. Coordination team assessing areas along the river basin dispel fears of flooding. 76Km north of Kapenguria in West Pokot County, Kenya. Saitoti - a professor of a discipline called "abstract algebra" - had his math all wrong. On receiving the experts' report, the Ministry of Finance relegated Biwott's proposal where it belonged - in the dustbin. This infrastructure is of TYPE Hydro Power Plant with a design capacity of 106 MWe. A Norwegian engineering and consulting firm, NorConsult, was engaged to conduct the study. Katilu Irrigation scheme is located in Turkana County in south sub - county approximately 130km south of Lodwar town. Kenya has small hydro stations – Mesco, Ndula, Wanjii, Tana, Gogo … The plan was to harness the waters of the Turkwel. Kenya Governments has warn citizen to expect disaster after confirming two dams has reached it maximum capacity. It further noted that a larger portion of the Turkwel project was financed on "commercial loans, despite ready offers for grants or extremely soft concessionary loans. AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 130 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. Yet that wouldn’t have come to pass had the government not thrown out of the window an experts’ report advising against construction of the dam. For instance, he wrote, "the installed price on turbines in the French deal was $277,000 each, while the same could be installed at $144,000 on international bidding.". Then suddenly, in 1986, Nyachae was shown the door from his powerful perch and the state machinery instructed to cut him down to size. Turkwel power generating plant in West Pokot County will be revived by KenGen in move to curb insecurity. A symposium led by West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo and addressed by environmental experts heard that the dam is "fast dying" due to heavy siltation of Suam River basin, which feeds the gorge on which the dam is built. “Turkwel Dam is expected to fill and spill for the first time. The first unit was commissioned in 1991 and the last in 1991. The Turkwel Gorge Project, situated in north-west of Kenya, was conceived as a multi-purpose project including hydropower, agricultural development, fisheries and tourist development. You must help us (meaning the President's community) come at least closer, if not be at par with you. ii elsewhere. The project is located in Kenya. It would generate power to feed the national grid and provide water to irrigate the arid Turkana and West Pokot districts. The latter wasn't amused in the least. Three days after sealing of the deal with French design and engineering company Sogreah and Spie Batignolles, the European Union chief delegate to Kenya, Achim Kratz, dispatched an eight-page secret memorandum to the EU headquarters in Brussels. But a bigger blunder was lack of understanding of the terrain, and specifically that part of Lake Turkana disappears every 30 to 50 years. The project was conceived as a multi-purpose project to develop dam to store water for hydropower generation, develop irrigation infrastructure for 30,000Ha for sugarcane production and for food production in the downstream, consumption for both households and livestock, environmental conservation, fisheries and tourist development. So far, only hydro-power development has been realized, which was implemented under the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) from 1986 to 1991 when the power station was commissioned for commercial operation. It is operated by Kenya Electricity Generating Company Ltd. Waiyaki, as he was to tell me years later, told Biwott he had no objection to the proposition, but quickly reminded him that Nandi, Kericho and Uasin Gishu districts were as developed as central Kenya, to which Biwott quickly replied: "True, the Nandi and the Kipsigis are the Kikuyu of Kalenjin-land. Managing director David Kimosop said that West Pokot and Turkana counties would benefit from the project estimated to cost between Sh8 billion and Sh10 billion at the lower Turkwel Gorge hydro scheme. Turkey has started filling the dam basin, a step that has alarmed neighboring Iraq, which is struggling with a water crisis. Turkwel Dam is an arch dam and concrete dam that was completed in 1993. The choice was informed by the fact that the Norwegians had projects in northern Kenya and were therefore equipped with useful knowledge and experience on the terrain. Development of Lower Turkwel Irrigation Project Summary. With Covid-19 hogging the attention, few took note of a story tucked inside the Sunday Nation two weeks ago, that Turkwel Dam may soon dry up due to environmental degradation. The project was initially supposed to cost 4 billion Kenyan shillings, but ended up costing more than 20 billion shilling. The controversial Turkwel Dam was built by the Kenyan government from 1986 to 1991 with the help of France. An infamous dam scandal from former President Daniel Arap Moi's days of yore has seemingly repeated itself during President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure.. Just like today's Kamwerer, Itare and Arror dams saga, Moi, in 1986, proposed a project dubbed Turkwel dam that was marred with scandals including kickbacks and questionable awarding of tenders. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us. Turkwel Dam. The Kerio and Turkwel rivers supply most of the water that flows into Lake Turkana within Kenya's borders. A dam project in Turkey is stirring controversy with its plans to flood the ancient village of Hasankeyf, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements. Engineers say at its inflated cost and distant location (the now worn out high voltage cables run over 120 miles to connect to the national grid), Turkwel is the most expensive power-generating plant in the country and the region! It was constructed between 1986 and 1991. AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 130 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. ", Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox. Several small-scale irrigation projects depend on the river water or shallow boreholes linked to it. The two projects, Arror multi-purpose dam and Kimwarer da, were to be constructed in Elgeyo Marakwet County, in Kapsaya, Marakwet West, and Talal respectively. Turkwel Gorge Dam (TGD, 37km2 reservoir area, Lehner et al., 2011) produces106 MW, which is the third largest hydroelectric power output of the country (KENGEN, 2017). The event was initiated to engage elected leaders in a bid to develop their leadership potential as they take the stance of working for a common goal of developing West Pokot County. The ancient settlement of Hasankeyf will soon be submerged as part of a controversial dam project – despite residents’ protests Tessa Fox Thu 12 … The Turkwel Gorge Project was incepted in 1986 and commissioned in 1991. 3. The dam serves several purposes to include hydroelectric power production, irrigation tourism and fisheries. Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station Kenya is located at Rift Valley, Kenya. metres and covers 6500 hectares. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. It is a multi-purpose project that includes Hydropower, agriculture development, fisheries, and tourism development. Uganda: Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, World's Most Expensive Road? The irreversible disappearance of the dam will mean death of the Turkwel Dam Hydroelectric Power Project, just as happened with once vibrant irrigation projects served by the dam. Turkwel at inception was a multipurpose project comprising hydro-power, agricultural, fisheries and tourism developments. The dam, which first gained Turkish government approval in 1997, is a key part of Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Project, designed to improve its poorest and least developed region. Naomi Campbell's Kenya Tourism Ambassador Role Causes a Stir, Covid-19 'Explosion' Feared at Kenyan Schools. Prior to the completion of the project the French Government wrote off US $ 35.7 million. As it turned out, Biwott had quietly vowed to revisit the matter - in his own time, on his own terms. The plan was to harness the waters of the Turkwel. Please try again later. All elected leaders in the county led by H.E. construction of the Turkwel Hydroelectric dam dried up the river in the downstream; it displaced many people1although in the same period it created casual or short term manual jobs for the locals and thirdly, both locally and internationally, the dam became a new field in Kenya on which there Introduction. The project was initially supposed to cost 4 billion Kenyan shillings, but ended up costing more than 20 billion shilling.The dam partially filled the Turkwel Gorge and created the Turkwel Gorge Reservoir. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. According to the authorities, water in the dam … Yet that wouldn't have come to pass had the government not thrown out of the window an experts' report advising against construction of the dam. Kenyatta Hint at Rotational Presidency a Bid to Block DP Ruto? 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