By Anderson Ojwang
Kendu Bay, the once entertainment capital of Nyanza, is waking up from decades of slumber and water insecurity despite being only three kilometers from the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria.
Kendu Bay—famed for the once prestigious Kendu Bay Agricultural Show, which attracted musicians and bands from all over the region and the country—went into economic slumber with the collapse of cotton farming, lake transport, and the agricultural show.
However, the show has waned and disappeared over the years, and efforts to resuscitate it by the Homa Bay County Government have been a cropper. Today, the showground is a mere relic of its illustrious past, as is the old pier that used to be an important port of call for steamers and ships from as far as Uganda and Tanzania.
The town became a ghost town, with few investors preferring it as a destination, while other traders relocated to upcoming towns in the region.
Water insecurity became a common feature in the town, and various attempts to supply it with water had not yielded positive results.
But Kendu Bay started rising, with investors in real estate and hospitality preferring it as an investment destination, leading to the eventual opening of a Kenya Commercial Bank branch in the town.
Kendu Bay town is now bubbling and waking up with the completion of the Kokwanyo Water Treatment Works, implemented by the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation.
“Despite being a lakeside town, Kendu Bay has for years struggled with access to clean and reliable piped water, forcing most residents to depend directly on the lake for their daily needs,” said Internal Security and Administration Permanent Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo.
Omollo said the long-standing water challenge is now being addressed through the completion of the Kokwanyo Water Treatment Works, implemented by the government and completed in February 2025.
“The project is now fully operational and awaiting commissioning. This is a milestone and will spur economic growth in the region,” he said.
He said the water project draws its raw water from the Awach Kibuon River, which flows by gravity into the treatment plant, where it undergoes a comprehensive purification process, including flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and storage in a tank.
“From there, treated water is pumped to a 2,000-cubic-metre reservoir tank at Ndiru, ensuring consistent supply and pressure for distribution,” he said.
Omollo said the intervention has significantly transformed water access for Kendu Bay town and its surrounding communities, providing clean and safe water to rural households, schools, and health institutions.
Residents said the water project will help address rampant water-related diseases and improve the health and economic well-being of the community.
They thanked President William Ruto for the project, terming it a milestone in the development of the town and the empowerment of the local community.
Currently, Kendu Bay has been witnessing an upsurge in investments in real estate and is steadily witnessing growth in other business sectors.
