KIWASCO Marks World Rivers Day

THE FACE BEHIND THE CHANGES IN DUNGA

Mr Joseph Odum at Dunga Intake Treatment Plant-Photo file

I was then moved to Debt Collection unit as

the Debt Coordinator. I was the pioneer of that office and one of my legacies is that I classified the debts according to collectable and bad debts that needed to be written off. I also took part in formation of the adjustment committee that resolved to sit regularly every week .From the debt section, I was transferred to the New Connection unit where, just like the debt coordinator, I was the first ever New Connections In-

charge. Through my office, several extension works of our water lines was initiated; translating to new connections that I later ensured were factored into the billing system. Having served in the new connections My name is Joseph Odum, I was among the first employees to join the Company in the year 2003, having transition from the now defunct Municipal Council of Kisumu. Currently I work at Dunga Intake station as the Station in-charge and have been there for two years now. When I entered KIWASCO, I was first made the Network Maintenance In charge whereby we began replacing the asbestos pipes with Upvc, and the replacement exercise was later entrenched into the Strategic Plan. During my tenure, I also managed to reduce the time taken to repair leakages to at most 6 hours .

unit, I was then assigned the position of Me-

ter Management In-charge. This was at the time when the meter test-bench was just constructed and we worked to ensure smooth installation and operations of the facility. While at the facility, together with my team we categorized customer meters according to their consumption i.e. top 100 and bottom 100. For the top 100, we purposed to service their meters daily so as to maintain their consumption trends. While for the bottom 100, we sought to find out why they were performing poorly and take remedial measures.

From the test bench, I was posted to Dunga

Intake in 2019, where I found the station in a

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deplorable state. At the time, anybody thought being posted to Dunga Intake was a disciplinary action but I chose to be positive about the transfer. Upon taking up the job, I purposed to facelift the station. I started by planting trees round the fence and flowers in

order to give the station an auspicious ambience. My love for farming and being a friend to fruits could not hold me back from introducing the fruits trees like the pawpaw and sugarcane. Last year, the lake levels rose above the normal levels, leading to flooding of the Intake and causing destruction to our infrastructure. In conjunction with the electromechanical and PDCE team, we managed to put up a barrier that now surrounds the station. With all the changes that came about, staff at the station also changed their perception towards work and currently we work harmoniously. The performance of our machines has also improved and currently, none of our pumps is down. All of them are in perfect working conditions and we have put measures to ensure they work optimally. One of the biggest challenges we experienced at the station was the sudden rise in the lake levels. This was a big threat to the plant especially to our pumping machines. During the occurrence, a great tide swept away both the new and the old barrier. Crocodiles, for a long time have been a major challenge at the intake station that even the divers are weary about. However, I hope for a situation where one day we shall get to cage our foot valves so that divers will work without interference.

I have worked in several units during my time in KIWASCO and although I am satisfied here at the Intake, I still think that I need to move higher in order to encounter more challenges and grow the company. It is a good practice to work in different sections so that one gets to know the challenges other people experience. For instance, the changes I have brought to Dunga Intake have shocked many of the staff members who come to visit the station. I accepted the transfer with a positive mind, and this has resulted to the many changes that have taken place. In the process, I have received numerous support from the senior managers and the Managing Director. All employers are looking for productive staff. The question everyone needs to ask themselves is, ‘Am I adding value to the company or killing the company? I know that so many of my colleagues fear retirement because they do not plan so I encourage you to start preparing for retirement early. Currently, I have 8 more years to retirement and I can comfortably say that I am ready for it because; I love home and home activities. My love for farming makes me have the strength to go into retirement. Some of the things that makes me proud to be part of Kiwasco include; having a robust Corporate Social Responsibility through tree planting and cleaning rivers, subscribing to WASCO games, good ratings by the regulator WASREB, I also love the fact that the Managing Director relates well with staff and that gives staff confidence. KIWASCO is slowly becoming a first-class company and we all need to move forward as a team. I am a proud staff of KIWASCO, having seen the company grow to where it is today.

Photo File:Infrustructure at Dunga Intake Plant with fruit trees around