River Dawa Dam Report: What 2014 Agreement Did Not Establish

On 14 November 2014, Goobjoog News reported, sourcing Standard Kenya, that Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia had agreed to construct a multipurpose dam and a hydro power station on River Dawa in Mandera County. The same report said the three countries proposed a bridge linking Kenya and Ethiopia on the river, and that representatives met at the Sarova Panafric hotel in Nairobi during a three-day meeting organised by IGAD. River Dawa, the report said, is a seasonal river that flows cumulatively for nine months and traverses the three countries.

The stated aim of the dam and hydro power station was harnessing and promoting sustainable use of the resource, according to the report. The meeting called for cooperation in the management and sustainable use of River Dawa. Kenya was represented by Mandera County Governor Ali Roba, who said the projects would help utilise the river to the benefit of citizens.

Roba also said that harnessing the water from the river can solve the persistent drought the region has been experiencing, and that: "We are optimistic that the process will be successful since each of the States is very positive about the proposal." Both were claims by the governor, not reported outcomes.

The report said the three countries formed a technical team to conduct a feasibility study of the proposed projects and share its findings, and that the process would be steered by IGAD.

What the report does not establish is as significant as what it contains. No project value, contract value, total project cost, funding source or financier is stated for the dam or the hydro power station. No timeline, start date, target date or completion date is given for any of the proposed projects. No contractor, consultant, developer or client is named. The location is given only as Mandera County, with no specific site.

Nor does the report establish what has happened since 14 November 2014. No outcome of the technical team's feasibility study is reported, and there is no evidence the study was conducted. The report provides no evidence of construction, funding, design, procurement or any activity after that date. It is a secondary news account attributed to Standard Kenya; no primary record of the meeting, the agreement or any signed document is provided. Names of the Ethiopian or Somali representatives at the forum are not given.

The agreement itself, the bridge proposal, the meeting details, the technical team and the IGAD steering role all rest on the Goobjoog News report as sourced to Standard Kenya. No subsequent record confirms or contradicts them.