State partners with Denmark to boost water security for 4m Kenyans

Water CS Eric Mugaa launches Ewaso Ng’iro Basin Water and Climate Resilience project in Nanyuki on July 4, 2026

/ALICE WAITHERA

 More than 4.1 million people within the Ewaso Ng’iro Basin will benefit from a Sh2.5 billion climate resilience programme focused on water security, ecosystem restoration and livelihoods.

Speaking during the launch of the Ewaso Ng’iro basin water and climate resilience project in Nanyuki, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa said the programme is part of the government efforts to cushion communities against recurring drought and the effects of climate change.

He described the initiative as a landmark investment in catchment conservation, saying it would transform the region by protecting water sources from the highlands to downstream users.

The programme, funded through a partnership between the Kenyan government and the Danish government will run until 2030 and will be implemented by the Water Sector Trust Fund.

It seeks to restore 26,000 hectares of degraded forests, wetlands and rangelands across the basin, improve access to water, strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable natural resource management in Laikipia, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Meru and Isiolo counties.

“The cordial relationship between the Kenyan government and our partners from Denmark has made this possible,” he said.

The Ewaso Ng’iro is one of Kenya’s most important river basins, originating from the Aberdare Ranges and the slopes of Mount Kenya before flowing north through arid and semi-arid areas into Lorian Swamp.

It supports millions of people through water supply, wildlife conservation and tourism, but has for years faced growing pressure from deforestation, land degradation, climate change and increasing demand for water.

Mugaa said the programme would strengthen conservation efforts in critical water catchments while ensuring communities downstream continue accessing reliable water supplies, noting that proper stakeholder engagement would be essential to its success.

He said the investment would also contribute to food security, support smallholder farmers, reduce conflicts over water and pasture among pastoral communities and complement the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

“This programme will stabilise this region and ensure there’s peace. Our pastoralists will not move up and down in search of pasture and water because that will be properly looked at from the catchment to the downstream users.”

The CS said the initiative aligns with the National Water and Sanitation Investment Financing Plan, which prioritises investments in rural and arid and semi-arid areas to unlock their economic potential through improved access to water and sanitation infrastructure.

The programme will finance the restoration of degraded catchments through the planting of about one million trees while protecting wetlands, riparian ecosystems and rangelands that play a critical role in sustaining river flows and biodiversity.

The project will also finance the construction of 30 water pans, 15 sand dams, protection and development of 30 water springs and other water infrastructure aimed at increasing water availability for households, livestock and agriculture across the basin.

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu welcomed the programme, saying it complements President William Ruto's economic transformation agenda while addressing longstanding inequalities in access to water within the basin.

“How can I watch water being drawn from here all the way to other counties, and my people don't have water? That makes me look irresponsible,” he said, while calling for balanced sharing of the resource between upstream and downstream communities.

Irungu said Laikipia county has already supported about 50,000 households to adopt rainwater harvesting technologies.

He added that increased water harvesting, enhanced fodder production and investment in high-value crops such as coffee, avocado and macadamia would reduce competition over water while boosting household incomes.

Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha described the initiative as a major breakthrough for the region, saying the investment recognised the importance of protecting water towers that sustain millions of Kenyans.

“As much as water is a social commodity that should be given to all people as a basic right, it comes from somewhere. If you forget where this water comes from, we will get to a point when we cannot provide water in this country.”

Erik Jorgen, sector counsellor for Water at the Embassy of Denmark in Kenya, said his country remains committed to supporting climate resilience, sustainable water management and peace-building.

He said that rapid population growth and increasing pressure on water resources required long-term partnerships to safeguard the basin for future generations.

Denmark will invest Sh1.97 billion while Kenyan will invest Sh492 million in the programme.