More than 2,500 households in six counties in Arid and Semi-Arid lands ASAL will get Sh1.2 billion support towards water provision.
The counties set to benefit from the funds include Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Marsabit, Tana River and Turkana counties in the five-year programme.
The funds from the Danish International Government Agency (Danida) will be channelled to the counties through the Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF).
This emerged when the donor country, the Trust Fund and the counties signed a working memorandum in Lake Naivasha Resort.
Team leader Elizabeth Matioli, the Danida team leader, the five year programme would start in July,tArgeting marginalised areas. She said that the donor country had previously funded eight counties with Sh3.5 billion but the current programme had been scaled down to Sh1.2 billion.
"We are targeting six counties where 2,500 households will benefit from the water programme for use in their households, for their livestock and sanitation," she said.
Speaking during the signing programme, she said Danida was keen to support water and sanitation and climate change programmes in Kenya
On his part, CAS for Water Dr Andrew Tuimur praised the water project for bringing doubt relief. He said the government was currently undertaking 685 water projects in the country, including dams in Turkana, West Pokot and Marsabit.
"Water is very critical in addressing the issues of conflict and this project will address the perennial cross-border conflicts in the ASAL counties," he said.
The CAS said it is necessary to to raise sanitation levels in the country which stood at 20 per cent to 40 per cent by 2022.
Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha said the ongoing capital projects around the Lamu Port would mean an increased population and hence the demand for more water.
"We have already seen a population increase in Lamu due to the port and we have started to plan in terms of water and sanitation," he said. A trustee in the fund, Fred O. Josiah, said that the project would address the issues of water, sanitation and climate change.
"We are keen to address the issue of conservation, re-afforestation and preservation of natural resources in this project around the six counties," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
