The Mount Kenya Ewaso Water partnership and Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network begin implementation of the Water Governance Support Programme II in the greater Laikipia region this week. KEWASNET, through MKEWP, with the support of Laikipia Forum, support the establishment of sustainable wash forums on Water and Sanitation challenges in the upper Ewaso Nyiro Basin and to address the same by pushing for adoption of the key issues in the County Integrated Development Plans.
The WGSP II program engages at sub-national/county, regional, national and international levels, with a focus on 10 counties in central and Southern/Western Kenya (Kwale, Tharaka-Nithi, Machakos, Makueni, Baringo, Laikipia, Narok, Kakamega, Busia, Nyamira). Through a human rights based approach, the program will strengthen WASH and IWRM institutions and stakeholders’ capacity to enhance sector coordination, engage more citizens’ voice through public participation in key policy development processes, improve accountability mechanisms, and work to ensure compliance with rural water and sanitation services provision and regulation.
MKEWP will use the Focus Group Discussions (FGD) to attain its main objective of ensuring that stakeholders and the right holders comprehensively highlight water issues affecting them and to advocate for them to be given priority by duty bearers during planning and budgeting processes in the County(ies).
An inception meeting start this process where key water stakeholders within the Upper Ewaso Ngiro North Sub-Catchment will be inducted into the WGSP II Program. Water Resources Users Associations from 15 WRUAs will be taken through the FGD process as they will be the main moderators during future discussions.
Some of the issues that have been identified as key points of discussion during the FGDs are on Water Quality and Pollution, Climate Change, Illegal Abstractions, WASH Financing, Water Allocations, Partnerships, and Government Engagement, just to mention but a few. Once the FGDs are complete and feedback is obtained from the 15 WRUAs and key stakeholders namely: Likii, Ngusishi, Naro Moru, Ontulili, Timau, Moyiok, Isiolo, Ngare Ndare, Ngare Nyting, Liliaba, Loisukut, Gobit, Nyahururu, Mid Ewaso and Mutara, an analysis of the key issues will be conducted and out of it an advocacy report developed and shared with KEWASNET, National and relevant County Governments.
This approach is agile and adaptive to keep up with new development processes in the water sector. WGSP II aims to promote Sustainable Management of Water Resources and Improved WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) services in Kenya, with a focus on “Leaving No-one Behind”.
Story with MKEWP By
