President Mwai Kibaki and Minister for water and Irrigation Hon. Mutua Katuku commissions a water project. The Government has initiated many water projects countrywide.
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Water Sector
The seventh Millennium Development Goal is to ensure, among others, environmental sustainability. Among its targets are to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015.
To realize this goal, the Government through the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (2003-07) committed itself to undertake comprehensive institutional reforms that would facilitate improved water and sanitation service programmes. The first target was to implement the Water Act (2002).The Act separates water resource management from water supply delivery.
Since 2003, bold steps have been taken. These include the separation of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in order to consolidate the responsibility for the management and development of water resources under one minister.
Implementation of the Water Act
Seven regional Water Service Boards (WSBs) Athi, Tana, Lake Victoria North, Lake Victoria South, Rift Valley, Northern and Coast WSBs, are already established and working. These manage the provision of water and sewerage services.
At the national level, the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA), Water Services Regulatory Board (WSRB) and Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) have been established. Their objective is to manage water resources, to mobilize resources and provide financial assistance towards capital investment costs of providing water and sanitation services (WSS) in areas that are not sufficiently served. As at January 2006, the Trust Fund was already funding 62 projects. At least 361 people were being targeted within each of the seven water service boards.
Water Appeals Board is in the final stage of formation.
The transfer plan of water assets to the WSBs was completed and gazetted with effect from 1st July 2005. The boards have become legal custodians of these assets.
Commercialisation of water services
The second target was to commercialise the provision of water and sewerage services. Six Water Service Providers jointly owned by the municipality and private sector, have already been established and are working in the main urban centres. These are: Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri water and sewerage services providers.
Major investments to improve water and sewerage services have so far been initiated in the six main urban centres with the support of development partners. These are: Nairobi (Ksh 3.83 billion), Mombasa (Ksh 8b), Kisumu (Ksh 1.89b), Nakuru (Ksh 1.36b), Nyeri (Ksh 800m) and Garissa (Kshs 700m). By June 2006, a total of 147 water service providers were in place - 40 urban and 107 rural.
A significant improvement in efficiency in water management has been realised. Unaccounted-for-water (UFW) has reduced from 63% to 51%.
Water provision enhancement
A total of 210 water supply schemes were rehabilitated. These are: Tana Water Service Board (WSB), 41 projects; Rift Valley WSB, 34; Northern WSB, 21; Coast WSB, 22; Lake Victoria South WSB, 36; Lake Victoria North WSB, 29; and Athi WSB, 27.
132 new community water projects funded under the Trust Fund are now in progress. Another 85 rural water supply schemes have been rehabilitated to completion and put under community management countrywide. This has increased the country’s water storage capacity by more than 7 million cubic metres, mainly targeting ASAL areas. 54 dams and pans are currently under construction.
The current situation of the rehabilitated/constructed pans in some arid districts after the March-June long rains is as follows: Samburu, 42, Garissa, 45, Moyale, 32, Isiolo, 8, Laikipia, 80, Marsabit,57, Mandera,32 and Wajir,10.
82 boreholes rehabilitated, 182 drilled, 45 under construction while 309 are within the current plan.
A further 120 water supply schemes were rehabilitated during the 2005/06 financial year. The area under irrigation countrywide through small holders’ irrigation schemes was increased from 1,800ha in 2005/06 to 3,891 ha in the past one year.
Construction and rehabilitation of irrigation schemes
9700 ha put under irrigation in 2004/05.
390 km of irrigation canals rehabilitated each year.
101 smallholder irrigation schemes have been developed and are operating. They cover over 10,000 ha.
Under the Rapid Results Initiative, three small irrigation schemes: Kinna (230 ha), Nkando (250ha) and Elangata-Enteret irrigation scheme (60ha), came into operation within 100 days in 2005/06.
Bura Irrigation scheme was rehabilitated to bring it to 2,400ha in phase I (2006) and 4,000ha in phase II (2007).
Hola Irrigation scheme was reconstructed to put 1000ha under irrigation.
Ahero and Bunyala: replacement of pumps, and revival schemes as well as provision of water to farmers has been done with up to 87% capacity achieved.
Mwea, West Kano and Perkerra schemes were completed and operating at capacity in 2005/06.
Training manuals, irrigation guidelines for smallholder schemes and Irrigation Water User Associations (IWUAs) have been developed and provided for use in 2004/05.
River projects, construction and rehabilitation of flood dykes
Nyando River: Dredging of River Nyando mouth and 40km of tributaries completed 2004/05. Out of planned 10km river training works, 6.5km have been completed and works are continuing out of the targeted 3.5 km dyke construction works, 4 km is completed and works are continuing to cover 5 km. Some 1500ha of land and 5,000 people have been protected from floods.
Along Nzoia river, out of 33km length of the dyke construction works, 9.6 km have been rehabilitated, bush clearing covering 128km completed, Termite control covering 4km, 20 dykes breaches repaired, 4000ha of land and 20,000 people protected from floods.
Along Tana River, out of 400 of gabions to be constructed, 260 have been completed at Garissa and works are on going.
4,480 water samples collected and analysed; industrial effluent in major towns such as Kisumu, Thika, Eldoret, Nakuru, Mombasa and Nairobi under surveillance. Effluent reduced by 60 per cent; tanneries, slaughter houses put up and surveillance intensified.
Water Staff Deployment
Following the implementation of comprehensive water sector reforms, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has now developed a comprehensive Human Resource Management (HRM) Strategy. This will be used as the guide in addressing human resource issues occasioned by the changes in responsibilities for various institutions introduced by the Water Act, 2002.
Prior to and following the gazetting of the Transfer Plan last year, approximately 7,600 employees from the Ministry and National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation have been deployed to the new institutions on secondment. These include staff previously deployed in the provincial and district water offices and those in the regional offices of the NWCPC.
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