- The state is keen to ensure there is universal access to safe drinking water
- PS says 29 per cent have access to sanitation while 40 per cent of Kenya’s population lacks access to safe drinking water
Image: HANDOUT
The government needs at least Sh1 trillion to supply every home with water.
State Department of Water and Sanitation PS Julius Korir said this on Wednesday during a walk dubbed ‘Journey of water’ in Kibos River in Nandi county.
“Water is a right and it is enshrined in our constitution. All citizens have a right to clean water and also dignified sanitation,” Korir said.
The state is keen to ensure there is universal access to safe drinking water.
Only 29 per cent have access to sanitation, while 40 per cent of Kenya’s population lacks access to safe drinking water, the PS said.
Provision of clean drinking water and sanitation will help curb water-borne diseases, he added.
The campaign entails a three-day hike along the river course to identify its challenges, followed by a reflection conference by partners and stakeholders on the third day.
It aims at exposing users to the long journey water takes before reaching their taps, fostering a deeper appreciation for this vital resource.
The walk began at the catchment area for River Kibos. The trans-county river has tributaries in the Vihiga, Nandi and Kisumu. About half a million Kisumu city residents depend on it for daily water needs.
The PS said they plan to harvest water by putting up dams to collect water to prevent flooding.
“We have mapped the country to harvest. We have about 63 dams that have been identified in the water and sanitation investment plan. The cost of this water and sanitation investment plan is Sh1 trillion.”
Noting that a lot of resources are needed, the PS said the ministry is coming up with new modalities of how to raise these in order to lessen the burden on the government and citizens.
The ministry is also developing and fundraising for climate adaptation plans to build more dams.
He appealed to well-wishers to chip in and build dams, and restore degraded catchment areas.
Korir also revealed an upcoming project funded by the Africa Development Bank that seeks to provide water and sanitation to small emerging urban centres.
The first phase of the project, which will start at the end of the year, will cost Sh22 billion, while the second phase will cost Sh43 billion.
Last year, the PS had indicated that his ministry had prepared an investment plan to enable the country to have 100 per cent coverage of water and sanitation in the year 2030, in line with Vision 2030.
He encouraged farmers to plant indigenous trees near water bodies.
Already, Nandi county has set guidelines directing that blue gum trees should be planted 50 metres from water catchment areas.
Korir was accompanied by Water Resource Authority CEO Mohamed Shurie, board chairman Donald Murgor, Nandi CEC for Water Philemon Bureti and World Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya CEO Mohamed Awer.
The CEC for Water said the devolved unit was the fifth to have passed and enacted legislation on wetland management and the Climate Change Act, which prohibits the existence of blue gum 50 metres from water bodies.
“We have started enhancing the same and we are requesting people who have planted along the rivers to remove them by March next year,” Bureti said.
Blue gum trees are thirsty, draw a lot of water and grow fast, often drying up streams.
He said they are going to implement the laws accordingly.