To improve on revenue collection and access to water, Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (Kiwasco) has introduced a pre-paid water metering system.
The pilot project scheduled to run for the next six months in Nyalenda, beginning this month, is being led by a Namibian based company TagMeter Namibia.
“Earlier this year, we concluded a memorandum of understanding with Kiwasco to implement a pilot project to demonstrate the effectiveness of our pre-paid water metering system,” said TagMeter project manager, Mr Nathan Desmond Tjirimuje.
Kiwasco’s managing director, Engineer David Onyango, said the prepaid meter will now enable customers pay only for what they consume and also help them manage their water accounts better.
The system will also enable the company to improve efficiency in billing, thus cutting costs associated with meter reading and data processing.
Because of the high population in Kisumu, it takes Kiwasco more than a month to conduct meter reading among its customers.
He said the pre-paid water meters will be installed at water kiosks operated by private operators and community organisations, as well as domestic consumers.
The intension is to reach a high number of residents, since each kiosk serves between 150 and 200 customers.
Source: Daily Nation, 19 Aug 2010
