The Kenyan government plans to spend $960m every year over the next decade in an ambitious program to prevent water shortage. According to Water and Irrigation Principal Secretary Fred Segor the country currently has 124m cubic litres of water. This is a shortfall against the required 3.5Bn cubic litres. He added that the deficit needs to be resolved in the next 10 years.
He further added that the funds will go towards robust water projects in the country. This will be in a need to address the prevalent water shortage. Furthermore, it will also ease effects of drought and boost food security.
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The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is looking to increase water storage capacity. Channeling of funds to mega-dams and boreholes and mapping underground sources will aid in this effort. However, water availability is still low, since most of it going to waste.
Ground water
According to Prof. Segor, the country is focusing on ground water mapping. Currently, there are two aquifers established in Turkana County. Hydrologists had projected that an estimated 250Bn cubic metres of water discovered in 2014 on the foot of Mt Mogila in Lotikipi could quench the country’s thirst for the next seven decades.
Prof Segor said the government is working with counties and other investors to level out the water projects. He also said the water sector receives an annual budget of $384m from the government.
According to him, the available water supply systems can only serve less than 60% of the population. This has led to frequent rationing. There is rising demand for water and sewerage services in major towns.
Pastoralists in arid and semi-arid areas are set to benefit from $76.8m in the next five years. This is from a World Bank and national government-funded Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project.
