Kalam village is located in Kasei Sub-Location, Kasei ward in Pokot North Sub-county, West Pokot County approximately 150 km from Kapenguria town. The climatic condition of the village is hot semi-arid and receives scanty rainfall averaging 500mm/year with temperatures rising to above 30˚C in some months. The vegetation cover is mainly thorns and short shrubs. The community in this area practice pastoralism as a major economic activity and keep variety of livestock i.e. cows, sheep, goats, poultry and donkeys.



The community has no reliable source of water and has to walk over 4km to nearby Kapcheror River to access water. The quality in these rivers is of poor quality; has high sediment load due to farming upstream, human waste due to low latrine coverage. Despite the quality of these waters, these rivers always dry during the dry season and the community has to dig shallow wells which sometimes run dry. These wells are always prone to contamination from humans and animals. Communities also wash clothes near these wells hence contaminating them. Despite the distance, the community has to queue for long due to the low discharge of the wells.

These factors have high impact on the health of the residents and education of children. According, to the reports by the residents of the area cases water borne morbidities such as Typhoid are common in the area. Also, many women complain of musculoskeletal problems as they have to carry water for long distances. Some cases of miscarry linked to carrying water have been reported. High levels of school absenteeism characterize the area schools as many of the children have to miss school to help their parents fetch water and water the animals. High rate of water borne disease also cause many to remain at home as they battle the infections. Lack of poor water has detrimental effect on health, education and overall well-being of the people.

Project Proposal – Installation of Bore Wells

To achieve the above objectives, this proposal seeks to sink a borehole in villages, equip it with solar facilities, and erect a 10 m3 storage tank. This shall ensure that the residents of receive a continuous supply of safe drinking water as well as water their animals without treking for long distance.

Key activities involved in the installation of the bore well are;

1. Hydrogeological survey
2. Drill, develop and test pump a borehole in Kalam village.
3. Biological and chemical tests of the water.
4. Equip the borehole with a Solar system.
5. Erect one 10m3 plastic water tank for water storage in Kalam village.
6. Erection of tap-stands and cattle trough in Kalam village.
7. Formation of Water User Committee and training them on basic skills on operation and maintenance.