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VOICES FOR WETLANDS AND WATER: CASE STUDIES ON WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT & WASH IN KENYA
Community Engagement and Partnerships in Action
Naromoru WRUA, which manages a 100 Kilometre-long stretch of the transboundary Naromoru River in a 188Km² basin, is one of the most inspiring WRUAs in Kenya. The association employs a community approach to ensure equitable sharing of river water by upper, mid and lower users. The WRUA is governed by a management committee with representatives drawn from all three sections of the river. The managing director of Nanyuki Water and Sanitation Company (NAWASCO), the Laikipia County government-owned firm responsible for urban water supply, also sits on the 17-member committee. The team meets once every month. Unlike most WRUAs, the Naromoru association has a rented office and its affairs are coordinated by a salaried manager. Its KES 50,000 monthly budget is funded by contributions from NAWASCO, community water projects, two commercial farms and individual households. The WRUA develops funding proposals for big projects and is currently working with the Water Resources Authority to access grants from the Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF). “I had not quite grasped the power of lobbying before. We have achieved so much by simply having a dialogue with leaders, including members of parliament and governors, and explaining our needs. The Nyeri County Commissioner has, for instance, promised to allocate us land to build an office,” says WRUA Chairman, farmer and trainer, Ephraim Kahenya. Naromoru WRUA plans to raise revenue and compliance by increasing membership from 35 to 80 per cent of water users. It also hopes to employ river scouts to clamp down on illegal water abstractions which stand at 90 per cent of river connections.
The WRUA has successfully put the Watershed training on lobbying and advocacy into use – first by seeking funding from MKEWP to lobby for a government-funded mega-dam, and then collecting 1,000 signatures to petition the Laikipia County Government over lack of progress for the project. They also successfully lobbied the County Government to address waste management issues by digging a trench and diverting seepage from a dumpsite located 100 metres from Naromoru River and to have the wasteyard moved altogether. Thus, the Nyeri County Government has set aside KES 20 million (approximately 15,600 Euro) to purchase land for a new dumpsite far removed from the river. Hand in Glove Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Water Resources Management (WRM) are closely intertwined as adequate provision of WASH services depends on good water resources management, and good water resources management in turn requires WASH services to be provided in an adequate manner. Nothing illustrates this better than the Naromoru WRUA fighting to ensure that untreated waste water is not disposed in open water bodies and that it does not pollute groundwater.
Smallholder farmer Ephraim Kahenya grows fruits, vegetables and lavender
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