Kenya - Thwake Multi-purpose Water Development Program – Phase I

The present intervention focuses on the first phase of the The Thwake Multi-purpose Water Development Program (TMWDP). This intervention comprises a multi-purpose dam for water supply, hydropower generation and irrigation development. It will also provide regulation of flows on Athi River downstream of the dam for flood and drought mitigation. The TMWDP targets broad improvement in productivity and livelihoods over a ten-year period, ending 2023. In phase 1, the program will increase water security by providing 681 million cubic metres (MCM) of water storage, earmarked for phases 2, 3 and 4 as follow: 34 MCM for human consumption, 625 MCM for double usage (power generation and downstream irrigation), 22 MCM for upstream irrigation, and an allocation for downstream conservation flow. The main expected outcomes are increased water security within the zone of influence of the dam, a firmer foundation for the development of cross-sectorial approaches to water management, and reduction in risk factors by increasing capacity for flood and drought related disaster preparedness.