Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has spearheaded the launch of the Impact 15 Report released by the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB).
WASREB is a regulatory state corporation established by the Water Act of 2002. This law was repealed by the Water Act 2016, which was operationalized in April 2017.
Section 70 (1) of the Water Act 2016 established WASREB with the main objective of protecting the interests and rights of consumers in the provision of water services, while ensuring other stakeholders’ interests are also safeguarded.
The report covers the period 2021/22 and has analysed the performance of 92 water service providers, four of which are private, in the 47 counties.
The Impact Report assesses the performance of the sector by monitoring nine key indicators; Water Coverage, Sanitation Coverage, Unaccounted for Water, Hours of Supply, Metering, Revenue Collection efficiency, O&M cost Coverage, and Staff Productivity.
The report has recorded an improvement in the performance of water service providers.
The Country has recorded an improvement in the percentage of piped water systems in the regulated utilities by 2 percent from a previously reported 60 percent.
Speaking during the opening of the Kenya Water and Sanitation International Conference and Exhibition 2023 at a Mombasa hotel, Wahome said that to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), access to safe water and sanitation and sound management of freshwater resources are priorities.
This year’s theme is “Harnessing technology and innovation to accelerate access to safely managed water and sanitation for all.
The conference’s overall goal is to bring together stakeholders to exchange practical knowledge, insights, and lessons on climate-smart technologies and innovations in the Water and Sanitation sector to accelerate the achievement of SDG 6.
Regarding the improvement in piped water systems, Wahome said that if all safe water sources are considered, including boreholes and community water systems, it is estimated that the current coverage is 70 per cent.
“Water development requires huge investment in the infrastructure; hence, we have taken a bold step to agree to partner with the private sector to invest and break the myth that water is not bankable,” Wahome said.
Wahome added that the low revenue on water that is not accountable for has either been lost through theft, leakages, inefficiency, faulty meters, or lack of good systems.
“The biggest asset that can sort out most of these challenges is simply good governance practices,” Wahome said.
The CS noted that we stand at 70 per cent coverage for accessing safe and drinking water and 32 per cent coverage for sanitation.
“The National government continues to support water development and management and its transmission to the counties,” Wahome said.
The CS urged full collaboration and cooperation with the County Governments to ensure full accountability and the supply of safe and drinking water for all.
“The Ministry is committed to ensuring that there is increased mobilization of resources to achieve the desired sector targets of sustainable, vibrant, and proactive institutions”, she noted.
By Fatuma Said
