THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA MINISTRY

OF WATER & SANITATION

LAKE VICTORIA NORTH WATER WORKS

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

DESIGN REVIEW, PREPARATION OF TENDER

DOCUMENTS AND SUPERVISION OF CONSTRUCTION OF
WORKS FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE
PROJECTS FOR THE TOWNS OF MOI'S BRIDGE AND
MATUNDA

Contract No. LVNWWDA/CONS/MOI-MTD/2020-2021

HYDROLOGICAL REPORT
APRIL 2022
Consultant Client
Professional Consultants Ltd Lake Victoria North Water
Professional House Works Development Agency
Kufuga Road, off Lang’ata Road P.O Box 673 - 50100
P.O. Box 24996-00502 Kakamega, Kenya
Nairobi
Consultancy Service for Design Review and Construction Supervision of Matunda & Moi’s Bridge Water Supply & Sanitation
Project
HYDROLOGICAL REPORT

REVISION RECORD SHEET

This page is a record of all revisions, if any, made to the attached. The revisions
are listed under “Revisions/ Changes”. The revisions are part of the document and
override the corresponding parts of the Original Document

Revisions/ Changes:
0 – First Issue

Remarks
Reissue to Client

Client Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency

(LVNWWDA)
Project Consultancy Services for Design Review, Preparation of Tender
Documents and Supervision of Construction of works for Water
Supply and Sewerage Projects for the Towns of Moi’s Bridge and
Matunda
Document Hydrological Report
Title
Doc. No Rev Date: Orig. Check. Appr
Attachments Entire Document √ 5th April
Revised Pages 2022
Only

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background..................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Scope of the Services ....................................................................................... 1
1.3 Objectives of the Review .................................................................................. 2
1.4 Review Methodology ....................................................................................... 2
1.1.1 Start-Up Meeting ...................................................................................... 3
1.1.2 Documents Reviewed ................................................................................ 3
2. Watershed Description ........................................................................................ 5
2.1 Location and size ............................................................................................. 5
2.2 Topography..................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Climate........................................................................................................... 7
2.4 Rainfall Analysis ............................................................................................. 8
2.5 Geology........................................................................................................ 11
2.6 Soils ............................................................................................................. 11
2.6.1 Hydrologic Soil Groups ........................................................................... 11
2.6.2 Infiltration Rate....................................................................................... 11
2.7 Vegetation .................................................................................................... 13
2.8 Land Use/Land Cover .................................................................................... 13
2.9 Hydrological analysis ..................................................................................... 14
2.9.1 Hydrological analysis at RGS 1BB03 ........................................................ 14
2.9.2 Flow reliability analysis ........................................................................... 16
2.9.3 Water Rights........................................................................................... 17
2.9.4 Flood frequency analysis......................................................................... 17
2.9.5 Sediment transport .................................................................................. 17
3. Water Quality .................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Proposed Moi’s Bridge water supply intake ...................................................... 20
3.2 Justification of the intake site .......................................................................... 21
4. Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................... 22
4.1 Conclusions .................................................................................................. 22
4.2 Recommendations: ........................................................................................ 22

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1. Introduction
1.1 Background
This review of the hydrological study report for the Chepkaitit River basin is to
accurately establish the surface water balance of the basin in relation to the proposed
rehabilitation and Augmentation of Moi’s Bridge water supply and design of the
proposed Moi’s Bridge-Matunda sewerage project, figure 1.1. This is meant to address
the fears of inadequate water for the for the proposed water supply system by the
client and funding agencies.

Figure 1: The Map for Nzoia River Basin Showing the sub-basins including IB sub-basin, where the
Chepkaitit River is located.
1.2 Scope of the Services
The scope of work for the hydrological report is:
• To provide a detailed watershed description of the Nzoia basin in relation to
its hydrology.
• To use the existing information to review the hydrology of Chepkaitit River
and its catchment and update the hydrological study report to confirm the safe
yields and water balance of the sub-basin, taking into account the demand for
the other existing projects on the Chepkaitit River.
• To justify the proposed location of the intake for the project

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1.3 Objectives of the Review

The objective of the review was to evaluate the surface water availability, total water
demands in relation to surface water and to come up with an updated surface water
balance for the Chepkaitit River basin. The review is based on the existing hydrological
information on the River Nzoia basin and Chepkaitit River and will not entail
collection of new primary data.
1.4 Review Methodology
The methodology followed in this review is called the assimilation approach. This
approach is to ensure the use of all available data, information, publications, local
knowledge and expert judgment together. This approach was relevant to this study
because a lot of hydrological information for the River Nzoia basin was already
available in various forms.

The review was essentially based on the existing reports, and the data used in the
reports. The consultant:
 Examined the watershed characteristics that affect hydrologic abstractions,
runoff volumes, runoff response time, and subsurface base flow. This
information will be important to enable one to understand the hydrology of the
River basin better.
 Reviewed and analysed the meteorological and hydrological data used by the
design consultants for the water supply scheme this involved checking the
number and relevance of the gauging stations used and their distribution in the
catchment in relation to proposed scheme intake sites, and to compare the
results as a quality control measure.
 Reviewed previous hydrological study report of 2015 related to the project and
many others done within the Nzoia River basin.
 Assess the available surface water for the various uses in the basin, in this case;
daily flow data from selected gauging stations was subjected to the monthly
and annual flow reliability analysis, from Q50- Q95 flow exceedance levels, and
then the Q80 (the normal flow according to WRA regulation) was used as the
abstraction level and Q95 gave the environmental flow (reserve) to be
subtracted from the Q80 to find the available water for the projects.
 Assess the water rights situation in the River basin and determine the water
balance of the basin. This was done by getting the water rights data from WRA
Kakamega for the entire River Nzoia basin, Kitale WRA sub-regional office and
from the National Water Master plan (NWMP 2013) for the Lake Victoria north
catchment area (LVNCA).

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The following steps were followed to achieve a good review:

1. Assembling of all hydrological studies, feasibility studies and project design
reports, research papers, thesis, dissertations and technical documents on the
hydrology of Nzoia River basin,
2. Examining and extracting facts from the National Water master plan on water
availability and water demand in the Lake Victoria north catchment area
(LVNCA) and specifically the River Nzoia basin and Chepkaitit River, and
3. Carrying out the review and preparation of an updated reviewed water balance
report for the basin;

The methodology for the assignment is based on experiences on peer review methods
used elsewhere as per the standard format for conducting peer review by WRA.
1.1.1 Start-Up Meeting
The Hydrological team set-up a meeting on 3rd June 2021 to discuss the project
objectives and calendar. At the same meeting the sub-consultant requested for
documents related to the project and any other documents and the data to be availed
to him. The hydrological report to be reviewed was sent to him latter. A field visit was
carried out between 23rd June 2021 and 25th June 2021.
1.1.2 Documents Reviewed
The Hydrologist has received and reviewed the following documents:
 Hydrological Assessments of water sources report for Chepkaitit for Moi’s
Bridge water supply by Howard and Humphreys East Africa limited,
consulting Engineers for year (2015)
 Hydrological report for Shakhala small hydropower scheme (2019)
 Updated hydrological report for the upper Nzoia irrigation project by GEDO
and Quadrant consultants (2020).
 Assessment of levee integrity and flood plain condition and final design of
flood protection works in the downstream region of the Nzoia River draft flood
plain management plan) by Atkins.
 The study of integrated regional development master plan for the lake basin
development area, final report Vol.5, sector report 3, water resources
/transportation/energy by JICA.
 GOK (2013): The National Water Master plan
 Pradeep P and Yang Hong (2013): Will Nzoia basin see water deficiency due to
climate change? British Journal of Environment and Climate change, 3(1) 67-85.
 Faith G., (2010): Assessing the impacts of environmental change on the
hydrology of the Nzoia catchment, PhD Thesis.

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 MENR (2012): Master Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Management
of water Catchment areas in Kenya.
 Kibisi kinetic energy LTD (May 2014): Hydrological Assessment Report for the
proposed Sakhala small hydropower project on Nzoia River, Sakhala village
Misembe sub-location, Kibisis location, Naitiri division, Bungoma north sub-
county, Bungoma county.

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2. Watershed Description
The primary watershed characteristics governing stream flow in the Nzoia River basin
can be divided into four categories. These are; precipitation characteristics and basin
area characteristics that affect hydrologic abstractions and runoff volumes such as land
use and vegetation (land cover), soils, and antecedent moisture conditions,
topographic characteristics that affect runoff response time, such as watershed shape,
drainage pattern, watershed slope, and stream channel slope and characteristics that
affect the subsurface base flow, such as soils, soil moisture, vegetation, channel bed
materials, stream channel length, geology and groundwater table.
These characteristics affect different aspects of stream flow hydrograph and therefore
needs to be mention briefly in the study. The characteristics of the project area are as
follows:
2.1 Location and size
The Chepkaitit River sub-basin is located in the 1B sub-basin of the River Nzoia
catchment within the Lake Victoria drainage basin, with catchment areas of 865 km2,
12950 km2 and 195000 km2 respectively. It is located within an area defined by 1o 16’
North 35o 26’ East. It is comprised of a series of forest reserves. The intake is located
at coordinates -10 0’16.4” N,35017’0.5” E, with an upstream catchment area of 164 km2.

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Figure 2: The location of the project area near Kapcherop within the Cherangani forest

2.2 Topography
The topography and size of the watershed influences how much and how quickly rain
water reaches the River, steep sloped basins are often associated with quick response
to rainfall events in terms of flashy runoff, while a flat basin will not. The Chepkaitit
River watershed topography can be described as an old fault-block formation of non-
volcanic origin with an undulating upland plateau on the western edge of the Rift
Valley. To the east, the Elgeyo Escarpment drops abruptly to floor of the Kerio Valley,
while westwards the land falls gently to the plains of Trans-Nzoia County. The
watershed ranges in altitude from 1600 m reaching 2000 m above sea level (masl). The
hills are largely covered by a series of Forest Reserves.

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Figure 3: The Terrain of Nzoia River Basin

This diverse terrain in terms of elevation makes the catchment susceptible to land
degradation due to soil erosion emanating from heavy rains and poor cultivation
methods.
2.3 Climate
Climate is often considered the driving factor for stream flow, and it is spatially and
seasonally variable in the Nzoia River basin. The Climate over the Nzoia River basin
is predominantly tropical humid and is characterized by day temperatures that vary
from 160C in Cherangani and Mt Elgon area to 280c in lower semi-arid Nzoia flood
plains. Night temperatures vary from 40C in highlands to 160 C in semi-arid lowlands.
The highest rainfall ranges from 1100 -2700 mm annually. Lowest rainfall ranges from
600 – 1100 mm annually.
The annual rainfall in the ecosystem varies from approximately 1,200 mm in the east
to at least 1,500 mm in the wetter west, is influenced by the moist prevailing winds
from Lake Victoria. On the other hand, the average annual rainfall varies from 800 mm
in the northern part to be more than 1,400 mm in the central part. The main rainy season
is from April to August and dry season from December to February.

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2.4 Rainfall Analysis

The Nzoia catchment spans over two climatic regions in Kenya: modified tropical and
modified equatorial. The modified equatorial climate is experienced in the lower areas
around Lake Victoria while the modified tropical is experienced in the relatively high
and higher areas away from the lake towards Cherangani hills.
In the modified tropical (subtropical/humid), mean annual temperature varies
according to the elevation. It averagely varies between 17˚C and 24˚C. Since the
temperatures are modified by altitude, the lower areas are warmer than higher areas.
Higher altitudes, for instance, towards the top of Cherangani Hills, experience
temperatures as low as 10˚C. Mean annual range of temperature varies between 3˚C
and 5˚C. The annual rainfall ranges between 1000 mm and 1500mm with the highest
areas receiving annual rainfall amounting to over 2000 mm.
The rainfall is bimodal with dry spells experienced between December and March. The
distribution of rainfall is affected by topography and the south-westerly winds from
Lake Victoria. Due to high elevation (1400 to 2300 m), rates of évapo- transpiration in
the catchment are generally low and decreases with increasing altitude, and in some
months it exceeds rainfall. The relative humidity is normally in the range of 50% to
60%. The lowest temperature occurs in the months of June to August that coincides
with the lowest evapotranspiration amounts. Generally, in the drier months, the
evapo-transpiration exceeds rainfall amounts. The evapotranspiration however does
not vary as much as rainfall in a given year (Githui,
2007).
Generally, the study area experiences four seasons in a year as a result of the inter-
tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). There are two rainy seasons and two dry seasons,
namely, long rains (March to May) and the short rains (October to December)
associated with ITCZ. There is no distinctive dry season but relative to the rainy
seasons, the dry seasons occur in the months of December to February and in some
parts, June to September. The two high-ground areas of Mt. Elgon and Cherengany
Hills, where Nzoia River originates from, have high rainfall almost throughout the
year.Figure 2.3 shows the long-term mean annual rainfall distribution patterns in the
basin. The annual pattern shows that all parts of the basin receive at least 1000 mm of
rainfall annually.
The basin experiences four seasons in a year as a result of the ITCZ and comprise two
rainy seasons and two dry seasons, namely; short rains (October to December) and the
long rains (March to May) and the dry seasons occur in the months of January to
February and June to September. However, the local relief and influences of the Lake
Victoria modify the regular weather pattern.

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December, January and February have been shown from various studies to be
relatively drier compared to other months. The other months receive fairly heavy rains
with peak rainfall during April to May period. The upper reaches of the basin appear
much wetter than downstream reaches during July to August period due to relief rains,
Figure 4.

Figure 4: Map Showing Rainfall Distribution within the Catchment

The highest rainfall is received between March and May while the lowest is received
between January and February Tables 1 and 2 and Figures 4 and 5. The availability of
water resources varies as the rainfall pattern, with more water during the rainy season
than during the dry season.
Table 1: Rainfall Characteristics in the Project area Kitale Met Rainfall (mm)
Month Mean Minimum Maximum
January 26 0.0 164.0
February 44 0.0 152.0
March 97 14.0 341.0
April 182 74.0 285.8
May 164 72.0 325.3
June 105 35.0 183.9
July 137 33.0 197.3

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August 155 75.0 265.3

September 109 9.0 286.5
October 129 24.0 275.0
November 103 29.0 301.8
December 45 2.0 233.2
Annual 1,297 3011.1 366.0

Table 2: Mean Monthly Rainfall Distribution at Kitale Met Station

Figure 5: Mean Monthly Rainfall Distribution at Kitale Met. Station

Note: the bimodal peaks in April and August- October and lowest rain in the months
of December- February. Table 3 shows the climatic characteristics of the basin from at
the Eldoret met station.
Table 3: Climatic Data for Eldoret Met. Station No. 8935181
Month Min Max Humidity Wind Sun Rad ETo Rain
Temp(oC) Temp(oC) (%) (km/day) (Hours) (MJ/m2/day) (mm/day) (mm)
Jan 8.7 26.1 57.24 190.08 8.59 21.97 4.22 31
Feb 9.1 27.3 55.65 190.08 8.42 22.47 4.43 53
Mar 9.3 27.9 58.87 207.36 8.14 22.30 4.48 69
Apr 9.0 27.2 68.07 172.80 7.54 20.75 3.86 155
May 8.5 25.6 78.16 129.6 7.61 19.79 3.35 130
Jun 8.1 24.4 88.6 112.32 7.21 18.54 3.04 110
Jul 7.9 23.8 88.81 103.68 5.9 16.9 2.69 168
Aug 7.9 23.7 87.68 103.68 5.69 17.41 2.83 171
Sep 8.1 24.4 77.42 120.96 1.79 20.42 3.40 79
Oct 8.2 26.1 69.12 172.8 7.4 20.84 3.73 57
Nov 8.5 25.5 67.25 216 7.82 20.92 3.89 72
Dec 8.5 25.5 63.33 190 7.90 20.59 3.84 38
Avg 8.5 23.3 71.68 159.11 7.43 20.24 3.65 99.3
Totals 43.76 1,192

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2.5 Geology
The watershed consists of composed of metamorphic rocks, with conspicuous
quartzite ridges and occasional veins of marble. The whole area is occupied by
Precambrian rocks of the basement systems, and consists of gneisses and schists.
2.6 Soils
The watershed soils are mainly moderately deep soils of good structure and high
organic matter content and variable acidity (mainly Cambisols). The north-western
and northern parts of the area have deep to shallow soils which are in general, liable
to sheet erosion. The mountain and hills have shallow to very shallow soils and are
often stony and rocky.
2.6.1 Hydrologic Soil Groups
The hydrologic soil groups of a development area are pertinent to best management
practice design for BMP. The predominant soil group will control the effectiveness of
infiltration facilities or the suitability of an area for impounding water. There are four
main soil groups based on drainage characteristics:
Group A is sand, loamy sand or sandy loam types of soils. It has low runoff potential
and high infiltration rates even when thoroughly wetted. They consist chiefly of deep,
well to excessively drained sands or gravels and have a high rate of water
transmission.
Group B is silt loam or loam. It has a moderate infiltration rate when thoroughly
wetted and consists chiefly or moderately deep to deep, moderately well to well
drained soils with moderately fine to moderately coarse textures.
Group C soils are sandy clay loam. They have low infiltration rates when thoroughly
wetted and consist chiefly of soils with a layer that impedes downward movement of
water and soils with moderately fine to fine structure.
Group D soils are clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay or clay. This has the
highest runoff potential. They have very low infiltration rates when thoroughly
wetted and consist chiefly of clay soils with high swelling potential, soils with a
permanent high-water table, soils with a claypan or clay layer at or near the surface
and shallow soils over nearly impervious material.
2.6.2 Infiltration Rate
Infiltration is governed by two forces: gravity and capillary action. While smaller
pores offer greater resistance to gravity, very small pores pull water through capillary
action in addition to and even against the force of gravity.
The rate of infiltration is affected by soil characteristics including ease of entry, storage
capacity, and transmission rate through the soil. The soil texture and structure,

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vegetation types and cover, water content of the soil, soil temperature, and rainfall
intensity all play a role in controlling infiltration rate and capacity. For example,
coarse-grained sandy soils have large spaces between each grain and allow water to
infiltrate quickly. Vegetation creates more porous soils by both protecting the soil from
pounding rainfall, which can close natural gaps between soil particles, and loosening
soil through root action. This is why forested areas have the highest infiltration rates
of any vegetative types.
The top layer of leaf litter that is not decomposed protects the soil from the pounding
action of rain, without this the soil can become far less permeable. In chaparral
vegetated areas, the hydrophobic oils in the succulent leaves can be spread over the
soil surface with fire, creating large areas of hydrophobic soil. Other conditions that
can lower infiltration rates or block them include dry plant litter that resists re-wetting,
or frost. If soil is saturated at the time of an intense freezing period, the soil can become
a concrete frost on which almost no infiltration would occur. Over an entire watershed,
there are likely to be gaps in the concrete frost or hydrophobic soil where water can
infiltrate.
Once water has infiltrated the soil it remains in the soil, percolates down to the ground
water table, or becomes part of the subsurface runoff process. Basic Infiltration rates
of various soil are shown in Table 4: whereas generalized value of run off factor are
summarized in Table 5.
Table 4: Basic Infiltration Rates for Various Soils (mm/hr)
Soil Type Range of Basic Infiltration Rate (mm/hr)
Sand >30
Sandy Loam 20 to 30
Loam 10 to 20
Clay Loam 5 to 10
Clay 1t5
The hydrologic soil group refers to the infiltration potential of the soil after prolonged
wetting.
Group A Soils: High infiltration (low runoff). Sand, loamy sand; or sandy loam.
Infiltration rate > 0.3 mm/hr when wet.
Group B Soils: Moderate infiltration (moderate runoff). Silt loam or loam. Infiltration
rate 0.15 to 0.3 mm/hr when wet.
Group C Soils: Low infiltration (moderate to high runoff). Sandy clay loam.
Infiltration rate 0.05 to 0.15 mm/hr when wet.
Group D Soils: Very low infiltration (high runoff). Clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy
clay, silty clay, or clay. Infiltration rate 0 to 0.05 mm/hr when wet.

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Table 5: Generalized Values of Run-off Factor

Catchment Soil Types Runoff Factors (Kr)
Rocky and impermeable 0.8 to 1.0
Slightly permeable, bare 0.6 to 0.8
Slightly permeable, partly cultivated or covered with the
vegetation 0.4 to 0.6

Cultivated, absorbent soil 0.3 to 0.4

Sandy bare soil 0.2 to 0.3
Heavy forest 0.1 to 0.2
Source: Guidelines for design, construction and rehabilitation of small dams and pans

2.7 Vegetation
Cherangani forest can generally be considered as indigenous forest. These forest zones
are characterized by natural forest which is difficult to access with low historical
human disturbance and accorded high protection status. The area forms a good
representation of local forest types and is very ideal for research work and acts as a
sink or refuge for species undisturbed by human activity. While there is presently no
defined area for community utilization, and whereas they let their livestock roam
freely and collect fire wood from anywhere, the management plan envisages
delineating a belt or strip of forest adjacent to settlement areas as utilization zone and
marking some sites as seasonal grazing
The ecosystem is made up of 10 forest stations, totaling 110,181.3 Ha of gazetted area
(Table 2). Of this, approximately 60,500 Ha is closed-canopy forest while the remainder
is comprised of formations of bamboo, scrub, rock, grassland, moorland or heath, with
about 4,000 Ha of cultivation and plantations.
2.8 Land Use/Land Cover
Land use and land cover affects the runoff characteristic of the basin, the land
treatment practices, affect infiltration processes and therefore affects groundwater.
The modification of land surface by the various land uses have varying effects on the
runoff characteristics of a given drainage area, as it affects the hydrologic abstractions
and runoff volumes.
The dominant land use in the region is agriculture and the main food crops include
maize, sorghum, millet, bananas, groundnuts, beans, potatoes, and cassava..
Dairy farming is also practiced together with traditional livestock keeping. The
catchment provides water for domestic (rural and urban water supply), agriculture,
industrial and commercial sectors.

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2.9 Hydrological analysis

The hydrology of the Chepkaitit sub-basin consists of several springs, streams which
originates from Cherangani forest to form the Chepkaitit River. The River drains into
The River Nzoia which then drains into Lake Victoria. From the WRMA records, there
are several regular River gauging stations inthe study area, namely; 1BB01, 1BB02,
1BB03, and others used in the study are shown in Figure 2.5. The gauging station
1BB03 is on the Chepkaitit River but with little data.
2.9.1 Hydrological analysis at RGS 1BB03
Hydrological evaluation for the Chepkaitit River was based the one existing River
gauging station 1BB03. Close examination of the available hydrological data for this
station reveals that this station was installed in October 1972. The River flow data from
this station was used to assess the available surface water resources in the River
Chepkaitit River at 1BB03.

Plate 1: The first gauge plate at Chepkaitit River RGS 1BB03 at the Bridge

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Table 6: Regular River Gauging Stations on Nzoia River and tributaries in the project
area
Regular Station Effective Rating Open Closed/Operational Period of
Gauging Name Catchment abandoned Data
Station area(km2) Available
1BB01 Nzoia 1,470 rated 1948 abandoned No data

1BD01 Little Nzoia 254 rated 1961 abandoned No data

1BD02 Nzoia - 1966 -

3,480 rated operational available
Hemsted 2007
1DA01 Nzoia 6,768 rated 1946 closed available

1DA02 Nzoia at
8,417 rated 1947 closed available
webuye
1BB02 Losura 264 rated 1967 closed available

1BB03 Not
chepkaitit 1940 1972 closed No data
rated

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Intake Not
Chepkaitit 164 N/A N/A N/A
rated
Source: 2013 NWMP

However, records from WRMA Kakamega regional and Kitale offices, indicates, some
of the stations have no flow data. This means that data is available for only a few
stations and of varying periods of record. Due to the absence of flow data for the
Chepkaitit River which is the source for the Moi’s -Matunda water supply project, then
the flows at the intake were estimated from precipitation data in the hydrological
assessment report.
2.9.2 Flow reliability analysis
The flow reliability analysis is necessary, as the generated flow duration curve (FDC)
shows graphically the relationship between any given discharge and the percentage
of time that this discharge is equalled or exceeded. A flow duration curve is helpful to
provide answers to the following and related questions asked frequently.
• Does the River have uniform flow or does its flow fluctuate widely?
• What are the low-flow and high-flow River characteristics, i.e., is the River
flashy?
• What percentage of the time does the River flow at certain discharge levels?
• If the River is to be used for, provide water supply, what percentage of time
can the River support such services?
Flow analysis was carried out to estimate the low flows in the Chepkaitit River at the
proposed Moi’s Bridge intake. The details of the analysis of the data from the two
stations is shown in table 7
Table 7: Flow duration curve at the proposed Moi;s Bridge water supply intake
Percentile Type of flow Percentile Flow Flow(m3/day)
3
(m /sec)
95 reserve 95 0.76 66,000
80 normal 80 0.97 84,000
50 Flood/median 50 1.42 123,000

Flow Duration Curve (FDC) provides information on water availability in the River,
the median flow (Q50) is the discharges which is equalled or exceed 50 % of the time.
The part of the curve with flow below the median flow represents low-flow conditions.
The results in table 2.5 shows that 50% dependable flow of 1.42 m3/sec or 123,000
m3/day will be exceeded or equalled at this point of the River. A discharge of 0.97
m3/sec or 84,000 m3/day is likely to be available 80 % of the time, the Q80 is the
River flow that is exceeded 4 out 5 years, the flow to be retained in the River for

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downstream riparian uses is normally Q95 flow of 0.76 or 66,000 m3/day is available
at 95% of the time.
For abstraction for the proposed project, and according to WRA regulations water for
domestic use should be based on normal flow Q80 reliability, with 0.97 m3/sec or
84,000 m3/day.
2.9.3 Water Rights
Allocated water rights reduce the availability of surface water resources; consequently
they are taken into consideration for the design of the project. From the hydrological
assessment report (2015), it was observed that that there are no allocation by WRA but
small direct abstractions which are negligible water rights along the reaches of
Chepkaitit River.
2.9.4 Flood frequency analysis
The Gumbel distribution was selected as the Probability Model to fit to the peak flow
data because it is quite popular among engineering practitioners for most parts of the
world and the advantage of this particular technique is that extrapolation can be made
of the values for events with return periods well beyond the observed flood events.
This technique is the standard technique used by Ministry of water and irrigation in
Kenya. The flood growth curves have been developed for major Rivers in Kenya and
for the River Nzoia basin the curve was used in flood estimation, see table 8.
Table 8: Design flood
Flood estimation ( m3/sec)
Based on flood growth Based on 1BB01 Based on 1BB02
curves
9.92 5.92 9.78

The 100 -year flood event ranges between 5.92-9.92 m3/sec, however since the
design flood should be a conservative high value, the 9.92 can be adopted for
design.100-year event as design flood for the weirs (9.92 m3/sec or 857,088 m3/day) .

2.9.5 Sediment transport

The rate of sedimentation rate depends on the soil erodability of the soils of the
basin, precipitation and the River capacity. There are no existing records of sediment
flow rates from Chepkaitit River. Thus the sediment loading rate to be used in the
study can be estimated rom rates used in the design of other dams in Kenya and the
observation made in the catchment area. The Practice Manual for Water Supply

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Services in Kenya provides some guidelines in estimating the sediment load as given
in the table 9.

Table 9: Rates of erosion and sediment load

Erosion class Sediment load (m3/km2/year)
Low 500
Moderate 1000
Heavy 1500

The fact that the Chepkaitit River catchment is very sloppy and it is heavily forested
with only small patches of grazing fields, this suggests that the basin experiences low
levels of soil erosion and consequently low levels of sediment load of 500
m3/km2/year.

Plate 2: Evidence of sedimentation in Chepkaiti River downstream of intake

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3. Water Quality
The basic requirements for drinking water standards are stated in the “Design Manual
for Water Supply in Kenya” of the Ministry of Water Development. The standards
refer to the World Health Organisation (WHO), consisting of values that should
generally not be exceeded. The parameters covered by the standards are biological,
physical and chemical qualities. No specific analysis has been conducted to determine
the relevant biological pollution parameters. The very conspicuous threats are more of
physical nature namely the sediment load of the Rivers.
No serious industrial wastes are presently in place but possibility of their existence in
future can be envisaged. With increasing industrialisation larger and larger amounts
of waste are generated and their disposition, without detrimental effects is of growing
concern. In addition intensification of agricultural activities may lead to higher
sediment transport, leaching of fertilizers, pesticides and feedlot wastes, etc. and may
have a major impact on the quality of environment and ecology. Historical water
quality data for Chepkaitit River is not available, but data based on water sample
taken from proposed intake-site during fieldwork, indicates that that the water is
neutral, soft, with slight amount of mineral matter, the water is chemically suitable for
domestic use table 10.
Table 10: Water quality at proposed intake intake
PARAMETER RESULT KBS standards
pH 6.70 6.5-8.56
TRUE COLOUR oH 20 15
CONDUCTIVITY μ/S/CM, mg/1 85 250
TURBIDITY, F.T.U 32.5 5
CALCIUM HARDNESS AS CaCo3, mg/l 20 100
TOTAL HARDNESS AS CaCo3, mg/l 46 100
TOTAL ALKALINITY AS CaCo3, mg/l 45 500
CARBONATE ALKALINITY, mg/l 0
IRON, mg/l 0.6
FLUORIDES, mg/l 0.46 1.5
SULPHATES, mg/l 1.0 0.1
DISSOLVED OXYGEN, p.p.m 6.75
NITRATES, mg/l 2.0 10
CHLORIDES, mg/l 20 250
TOTAL COLIFORM/100ml -
TOTAL FAECAL COLIFORM/100ml -
DISSOLVED SOLIDS, mg/l 130 1200
SUSPENDED SOLIDS, mg/l 120 30
TOTAL SOLIDS, mg/l 250
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, -
mg/l
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, mg/l -
RESIDUAL CHLORINE, mg/l -

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The basic requirements for drinking water are that it should be: Free from pathogenic
(disease causing) organisms; Containing no chemicals that have an adverse or long
term effect on human health; Fairly clear (i.e. low turbidity, little colour); Not saline
(salty); Containing no compounds that cause an offensive taste or smell; and Not
causing an encrustation of the water supply system not staining clothes washed in it.
Surface water sources rarely meet these requirements without adequate treatment.
3.1 Proposed Moi’s Bridge water supply intake
During the fieldwork, a visit was made to the intake site and the following
observations were made:
• There is an existing water intake belonging to the farmer on whose land the
proposed intake will be located.
• There was another intake under construction for the proposed Chepkaitit
Irrigation Project implemented by the county government of Trans-Nzoia, with
an approximation abstraction amount of 6,610m3/day.

Plate 3: The new intake under construction at the proposed Moi’s Bridge intake and a pipe for
an existing intake at the same site.
• The fieldwork team traversed the River profile upstream and downstream of
the proposed intake site although with difficulty due very steep slopes and
could not get any suitable alternative site.

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3.2 Justification of the intake site

1. The site is ideal in terms of altitude relative to the supply area.
2. The site has good and stable banks in both sides of the River.
3. The site is the narrowest with steep River banks.
4. The site has a rocky River bed and therefore little or no possible seepage of the
impounded water
5. No another suitable site in the immediate upstream and downstream of the site
6. This is the most ideal site for an intake.

Plate 4: steep right bank under scouring at the intake site

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4. Conclusions and Recommendations

4.1 Conclusions
The hydrological analysis has been based on data from 1BB03, which is the
downstream of the intake on the Chepkaitit River, with an effective catchment area of
1940 km2 while intake has a catchment area of 164 km2.
• In terms of water availability, the available water for abstraction, the Q80 flow
value is the WRA abstraction threshold for normal flow for domestic water
supply, and this amounts to 0.97 m3/sec corresponding to 84,000 m3/day from
the analysis, the Q80 is the River flow that is exceeded 4 out 5 years, the flow to
be retained in the River downstream.
• The design flood, the 100-year event is 9.92 m3/sec or 857,088 m3/day.
• The proposed water demand of 0.165 m3/sec or 14,270 m3/day for the project
will be met. Having considered the 6,610 m3/day abstraction volume for the
Chepkaitit Irrigation Project, a surplus of 63,120 m3/day will remain in the River
available for further allocations.
• During fieldwork, it was observed that an intake for another project funded by
the County government of Trans-Nzoia was under construction just next to the
proposed site, even with this in mind the water is still adequate for the two
projects and still a surplus will remain for more future allocation by WRA.
4.2 Recommendations:
• The water abstraction should be based on normal flow (80%) threshold (0.97
m3/sec)
• The proposed intake site location should retain in the same site given the
justification above
• Moving the intake further upstream from the present location will mean that
it will be inside the Cherangani forest and KFS may bring issues and possible
delay of project implementation as their approval procedures are usually very
lengthy.
• Sediment load of 500 m3/km2/year or less should be adopted where necessary.

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Appendix 1: Water Quality analysis results

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UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL & CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
File: P.O. Box 30197-00100
Telegrams: "Varsity"Nairobi NAIROBI
Telephone: Nairobi +254-20-318262 KENYA
Email: civileng@uonbi.ac.ke

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS FOR WATER SAMPLES

SAMPLE SOURCE & DESCRIPTION: R. Chepkaitit Date: 24/6/2021

SAMPLED BY: Dr Nyangaga CLIENT: Professional consultants.

PARAMETER RESULT REMARK

pH 6.70
APPARENT COLOUR oH 25
TRUE COLOUR oH 20
CONDUCTIVITY μ/S/CM, mg/1 85
TURBIDITY, F.T.U 32.5
CALCIUM HARDNESS AS CaCo3, mg/l 20
TOTAL HARDNESS AS CaCo3, mg/l 46
TOTAL ALKALINITY AS CaCo3, mg/l 45
CARBONATE ALKALINITY, mg/l 0
IRON, mg/l 0.6
FLUORIDES, mg/l 0.46
SULPHATES, mg/l 1.0
DISSOLVED OXYGEN, p.p.m 6.75
NITRATES, mg/l 2.0
CHLORIDES, mg/l 20
TOTAL COLIFORM/100ml -
TOTAL FAECAL COLIFORM/100ml -
DISSOLVED SOLIDS, mg/l 130
SUSPENDED SOLIDS, mg/l 120
TOTAL SOLIDS, mg/l 250
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, mg/l -
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, mg/l -
RESIDUAL CHLORINE, mg/l -

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