SIAYA town and the environs have been experiencing an acute shortage of water in the past week.

The Kenya Power branch manager, Joseph Sambu, said Siaya-Bondo Water Services Company (SIBOWASCO) owes the power utility firm more than Sh1.2 million. The water shortage has been caused by disconnection of power supply to the urban centre.

Sambu said the bill has accumulated since November last year before the firm disconnected supply on Thursday last week. He said power will only be reconnected after SIBOWASCO settles the debt, and acknowledged that innocent consumers may continue to suffer.

Addressing news reporters yesterday at his Siaya town office, Sambu warned that the company will not relent in its bid to recover outstanding debt from consumers.

SIBOWASCO acting Managing Director, Edwin Omondi, confirmed the power bill and said plans were ongoing to settle the debt in due course. SIBOWASCO serves over 1,200 consumers within Siaya town who have been forced to buy the commodity from vendors at exorbitant rate.

A 20-liter jerrican of water has been fetching Sh20, up from the normal rate of Sh5. Some investors have been forced to drill boreholes at their premises as a long-term measure to check erratic water shortage.