IGAD member states have shelved their national interests by pledging to work on a framework to guide how trans-boundary water resources will be used.
Trans-boundary water resources have been an issue between Kenya and some countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Egypt, a move that has threatened diplomatic ties.
On February 18 last year, Egypt reached out to Kenya for a better deal over the use of the Nile.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who was in the country for a one-day visit, told President Uhuru Kenyatta he was in the country to seek ways of improving trade.
He also pledged to extend the same towards fair use of the waters of the world’s longest river.
Recently, Somalia took Kenya to International Court of Justice over oil exploration on a disputed sea area.Yesterday, Water CS Simon Chelugui said controversy over trans-boundary water needs to be addressed holistically.
Chelugui said the availability of water and its distribution was irregular in space and time, which been worsened by climatic changes.
“Our resolutions have been candid that we need to work as a team and as countries that share basins for the good and benefit of all of us.We are affected one way or the other by the water that we share.There are countries that are upstream like Ethiopia which is upstream to some sources to Somalia while we are upstream to Lake Victoria, Uganda is also upstream to Nile Rivers,” Chelugui said.
The CS was accompanied by IGAD’s member state water ministers.
Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, the Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda are IGAD’s member states. Ethiopia did not attend.
Chelugui stressed the need to have a common protocol saying all countries have activities that impact on downstream water flows.