Residents of Siaya town are up in arms against the management of SIBO Water and Sanitation Company Limited (SIBOWASCO) over poor water delivery. According to some businessmen in Siaya town who spoke to The Weekly Vision on strict conditions of anonymity for fear of victimization by the SIBOWASCO management, the company’s MD Eng. Michael Ogol and the Board’s Chairman William Oungo are running the company as a personal business enterprise.
Residents claim that Siaya town, despite being the county’s headquarters, sometimes receives water only twice a week. The same problem is said to spread to Bondo town.
Residents claim that most of the water meters are faulty resulting in exaggerated metre readings and water bills. It is alleged that metre readers who are contracted by SIBOWASCO on a contract basis are doing a shoddy job as they only estimate the readings but do not physically go to take the metre readings resulting in exorbitant water bills.
Clients sometimes have to go to the SIBOWASCO offices to get the water bills despite assurance from the management that water bills are sent to their phones. The company launched the bill inquiry method through mobile phones where clients are supposed to send their account numbers to 20269 but even though it charges Ksh.10; no SMS is sent to confirm the water bill.
