By Gerald Mukembu
The Meru County Assembly has called on the Meru Water and Sewerage Services (MEWAS) to urgently address operational inefficiencies, improve revenue collection, and promote inclusivity within its workforce.
This comes after the assembly adopted a report from the Select Committee on Public Accounts and Investments, chaired by Kithinji Ethaiba, which scrutinized the Auditor General’s report on MEWAS’ financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2023.
The committee expressed concern over the mounting debt owed by MEWAS clients, urging the firm to overhaul its debt management strategies.
Key recommendations include enforcing payment plans, penalizing defaulters, and utilizing automated SMS, email, and phone reminders to alert customers about due payments.
“The institution must improve debt management by applying penalties, monitoring compliance, and using digital alerts to notify customers of payments due—before or after disconnection,” Ethaiba said while tabling the report.
The MCAs also proposed that chronic defaulters be reported to Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs), and that MEWAS write off bad debts in line with accounting standards. The committee advised the utility to carry out customer outreach programs on payment policies and enhance communication channels to handle inquiries and disputes.
Additionally, the report raised red flags over hiring practices at MEWAS, pointing out that a majority of its staff hail from a single ethnic community. The MCAs directed the management to develop a robust diversity and inclusion policy, and ensure compliance with Section 7(2) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008, which caps the number of staff from one ethnic group at one-third in any public institution.
The committee also revealed that MEWAS has been billing customers using outdated tariffs, which has hampered revenue generation. This practice contravenes Section 72(1) of the Meru Water and Sanitation Act, 2016.
Further, concerns were raised about the Company’s ballooning wage bill, with the assembly urging the management to review its staffing and expenditure priorities.
MEWAS is the largest water service provider in the region, and the MCAs stressed the need for immediate reforms to ensure better service delivery to Meru town and surrounding areas.
