- The project is the fourth Nairobi Water supply project and benefits Murang’a, Kiambu, Nairobi, Kajiado and Machakos counties.
- It will help improve access to water by an additional 50,000m3 per day in Kiambu and 23,000m3 in Nairobi.
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The Ministry of water is in the process of undertaking necessary legal and regulatory amendments to the Water Act 2016, Principal Secretary Paul Rono has said.
Rono noted that the review will help operationalize the national public water works and ensure bulk investments are undertaken through the public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
He observed that the burden of water and sanitation provision is huge and can only be gapped through such a partnership.
"The Ministry acknowledges that water is a national resource and cannot be localized within one area," said Rono.
He said, "While some areas are blessed with adequate water sources, others have none, calling for the construction of cross-country supply systems for sharing amongst several counties."
The financial gap, he noted, currently stands at approximately Sh100 billion annually.
The PS was making the remarks during a consultative forum on the license for the Karimenu II dam water supply system.
Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) manages the resource made for the application.
This now empowers the agency to manage the project and operate it before it later hands it over to the authority of the particular county.
Terming the move as timely, Rono urged other agencies to follow suit to ensure Kenyans access the basic commodity with ease.
Bulk water supply systems, he stated, will soon be operationalized across the country.
The project is the fourth Nairobi Water supply project and benefits Murang’a, Kiambu, Nairobi, Kajiado and Machakos counties.
It will help improve access to water by an additional 50,000m3 per day in Kiambu and 23,000m3 in Nairobi.
"I am happy to announce to the residents of Nairobi and Kiambu that water rationing will soon be a thing of the past if such bulk water systems are embraced," he stated.
The Government, he pointed out, has prioritized 100 dams to be implemented through the PPP framework.
On non-revenue water, the PS Rono appealed for more collaboration from counties.
He urged the devolved units to set aside monies to address it as well as increase the last-mile connectivity.