Recently, China Electric Power Construction and the Kenya Coastal Water Authority officially signed a contract for the Mombasa Muwachi Water Plant and its ancillary projects. Hamud M. Muguza, CEO of the Coastal Water Authority, and Mu Jun, Deputy General Manager of the Central South Institute, attended the signing ceremony. The project is located in Quale County, west of Mombasa City, adjacent to the Muwachi Multi functional Dam constructed by China Electric Power Construction. The total designed processing capacity is 186000 cubic meters per day, and the main construction includes facilities such as a raw water pump station, water treatment plant, and sludge treatment. After the completion of the project, it will form a regional water supply system together with the Muwachi Dam and water pipelines, further enhancing the water supply guarantee capacity of Mombasa and surrounding areas.

The entire chain from dam to water plant is formed

The core construction content of the Muwachi Water Plant and its ancillary engineering project covers three major areas: raw water pump station, water treatment plant, and sludge treatment, with a designed daily processing capacity of 186000 cubic meters. As the upstream water source project of the water plant, the Muwachi Multi functional Dam is constructed by China Electric Power Construction Corporation and officially started construction in March 2022. It is expected to be fully completed by August 2027. As of June 2026, the main construction of the dam has been completed by about 83%, and the dam body has been filled to an altitude of 87 meters, with only 13 meters left from the design elevation. It is planned to store water before the rainy season in October 2026. After the project is put into operation, the dam can deliver 186000 cubic meters of clean drinking water to Mombasa, Kwale and other areas every day, while providing a stable irrigation water source for about 2000 hectares of farmland in the surrounding area.

Closed loop connection of water storage and transportation treatment

The significance of the signing of the Muwachi Water Plant can only be seen in the overall layout of China Electric Power Construction in the Kenyan water market. Prior to this, China Electric Power Construction had already completed the completion of two key links in the Muwachi River basin. The dam project, as the storage end, is fully funded by the World Bank's International Development Association and is one of the flagship water projects of Kenya's 2030 Vision. The water pipeline and reservoir project was signed in January 2026, including a total length of 30.7 kilometers of water pipelines in Muwachi and the southern region, and the construction of two reinforced concrete reservoirs, funded by the French Development Agency. The water plant project signed this time is precisely a crucial link in the processing end of the water storage, transportation, and treatment chain. Three projects form a complete closed loop: dam water storage, pipeline transportation, water plant treatment, and water distribution to households. This upgrade from single project contracting to systematic solution output is the core capability that sets China Electric Power Construction apart from other contractors in the African water market. Keywords: infrastructure news and information, international, water plants

Multilateral fund driven market window

The background of the Muwachi Water Plant project is that Kenya's water infrastructure is undergoing a period of concentrated investment driven by international multilateral institutional funds. The African Development Bank's investment portfolio in Kenya's water sector has exceeded $1 billion, accounting for approximately 27% of its total investment portfolio in the country. Among the major water conservancy projects currently underway in Kenya, the Thwake multifunctional dam has completed 94.2%, and development plans for approximately 50 large dams are under discussion. The PPP model is increasingly being introduced to mobilize more investment. The Kenyan government has also launched a national urban water supply and sanitation plan, with the goal of increasing water supply capacity by 33600 cubic meters per day and expanding sewage treatment capacity. From the perspective of financing structure, the upstream dam of Muwachi Water Plant is fully financed by the World Bank, and the water pipeline is funded by the French Development Agency. For small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to enter the Kenyan water supply market, the repayment risk of multilateral funding projects is relatively controllable and deserves priority attention.Editor/Gao Xue