Kenya’s Mombasa County poised to issue RFP for desalination project

Mombasa County, Kenya, is to issue a request for proposals for new desalination capacity to five shortlisted companies in May 2017.

The county is tendering two desalination projects on a build, operate, transfer (BOT) basis. They are a plant of 130,000 m3/d in the north, and one of 30,000 m3/d in the south. 

The plans were outlined by minister for water and natural resources, Fatma Awale, at the Global Water Summit, on 24 April 2017.

A total of nine companies have expressed an interest in working on the project.

The World Bank is supporting improvements to water and sanitation services in Mombasa County through its $200 million Kenya Coastal Water Security and Climate Resilience Program.

The desalination project will be financed through a public-private partnership (PPP), and Mombasa County has committed to help secure land for it.

Reports in November 2016 suggested that high land prices in Mombasa County were presenting a challenge for project developers.