Residents of Kampi Ya Samaki in Baringo County have since time immemorial been considering themselves lucky for living along the shores of the second fresh water lake in Kenya- Lake Baringo. This resource is a source of livelihoods and it is even the name of the lake that gave the county its name. However, most of the members of the Lake Baringo riparian communities as well as her catchment are suffering from the adverse effects of dental and skeletal fluorosis. The reason being Lake Baringos waters contain 55 milligrams of fluoride per litre - more than 35 times the amount recommended by the World Health Organization, according to a 2014 study by the state-run Geothermal Development Company. A study by the University of Nairobis geology department attributed the high levels of fluoride to emissions from volcanic activity in the East African Rift System . Prolonged exposure to high levels of the mineral causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. (Reuters, 2020). The initial most common symptoms are seen as brown specs on teeth, while later stages result in severe skeletal damage. While men have also been affected, women and children have been hardest hit. Its estimated that up to 25,000 people in 10 villages have been affected by the effects of the Lakes waters.

Now that is about to change and there is hope that is putting a smile on the people of Kampi Ya Samaki through a multi agency sponsored project called Fluoride-Free Future for Baringo Children and Community: Providing Clean, Equitable Affordable and Safe Drinking Water to Kambi Samaki Community To realise this vision, five financiers came together to raise a total of Kshs. 62.5 Million for the total cost in a classic case of harmonizing synergy and complementarity . These are; County Government of Baringo-Kshs 27.4 Million, National Government (State Department of Water) Kshs.20 M, Child Fund Kshs. 7 M, grant from Dupont Kshs. 7 M and Davis & Shirtliff Kshs 4.5 M. Upon completion of the project will serve over 15,000 people comprising of children, young female mothers, mothers to school going children, - male and female youth, women fish mongers and traders and male and female adults. The overall objective of the project is to Promote safe water access for human consumption for kampi ya samaki community through treatment of the lake Baringo waters at source. While on a site inspection visit on 3rd February 2025, H.E. Benjamin Cheboi, EGH,EBS, Governor-Baringo lauded the project supervisor- Child Fund and its local implementing agency the Central Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency and reported that the works were at 96% to completion. Cheboi was impressed at the speed at which the contractor was doing. Soon, the issue of excess fluoride to the water consumers of Lake Baringo in Kampi Ya Samaki will be a thing of the past added Cheboi. He further thanked all the partners involved in the quest of providing clean, safe, fluoride-free water from Lake Baringo.

The scope of the project encompasses water defluorination and purification system, provision of water pipeline infrastructure to nearby village center and water use capacity building. The treatment plant will have community water supply systems equipped with solar powered pumps, storage tanks and distribution pipeline at the target site. This will aim to provide safe, clean drinking water to households in the locality and reduce the adverse effects of consuming water with high fluoride contents. A Water User Association (WUA) shall be established and trained by hired consultant and officials from Ministry of Water department to run and manage the water treatment plant for ensure sustainability and continued effectiveness of the project.