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Access to water growing though slowly, report indicates

Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa who launched the report said there is need for the levels of government (national and county) to create an enabling environment for the development towards the realization of rights to water access/FILE

Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa who launched the report said there is need for the levels of government (national and county) to create an enabling environment for the development towards the realization of rights to water access/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – A performance review of Kenya’s water services sector 2014-15 released Wednesday indicates that the trend in coverage has been growing though slowly.

The 2014-2015 review on Kenya’s water services sector indicates that water coverage in the country has scantly improved from 53pc recorded in 2013 to 55pc stating that the sector must grow by 5 times annually to reach the 2030 targeted by the universal access.

Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa who launched the report said there is need for the levels of government (national and county) to create an enabling environment for the development towards the realization of rights to water access.

“The available water resource is 22,564 million cubic meters per year, with enhanced water resource development the demand for domestic, industrial, livestock, wildlife and fisheries can be met,” said the CC.

“My ministry is implementing projects to increase the coverage to over 63pc and I want to assure all Kenyans that this remains our focus,” he said.

The report highlights that the demand for water services continues to increase, driven by the growing population, urbanization and climate change.

“Climate change puts a strain on water availability, exhausting water resources,” the report stated.

Currently the country is being faced with the challenge of urbanization which demands huge expansion of the water and sanitation infrastructure.

Wamalwa who launched the report said there is need for the levels of government (national and county) to create an enabling environment for the development towards the realization of rights to water access.

“The two levels of government (national and county) have to create an enabling environment to ensure a adherence to a proper governance framework established and enforced through an effective regulatory process,” said Wamalwa , “National and inter-county collaboration is imperative for this to happen.”

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Present at the launch was Water Permanent Secretary (PS) Fred Sigor who said there is need to increase public funding and self-financing hinged on appropriate tariffs.

“This is expected to provide a snapshot of the potential utilities to private partners so that the partners can make decisions on utilities they can do business with, thereby increasing chances of accessing commercial financing,” said Sigor.

The report shows that the attainment of national targets for water continues to be a challenge and innovative approaches are required to improve access levels recommending that huge capital expenditure and prudent investment will be required to meet both national and global targets.

CS Wamalwa called on institutions responsible for provision of water services to deliver services efficiently and effectively to ensure progress towards achievement of the right to water.

Wamalwa also congratulated and awarded utilities that have shown improvement in performance.

“Utilities are expected to demonstrate stronger orientation towards the undeserved if the right to water is to be realized,” said the CS.

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