Likii WRUA held its 2021 AGM on 7th October 2021. The meeting was well attended by the executive committee, management committee, WRA officials, MKEWP, Emu Sacco, the area chief, guests, and other representatives.
Likii WRUA is a community based organization (CBO) established in 2002 under the Water Act, with the mandate to manage and to conserve water resources within the Likii Watershed and to resolve water use related conflicts in collaboration with Water Resources Authority (WRA).
The Likii sub-catchment covers a total area of 182km2 from the Mt. Kenya Ecosystem where the Likii River originates to its confluence with Nanyuki River. The catchment traverses through Laikipia and Meru Counties.
The WRUA’s main focus is to manage the water resources within the Likii sub-catchment in a sustainable manner for social and economic development.
In the meeting the Chairman, Mr Julius Kirinya, highlighted the successes the WRUA achieved in the year 2020, despite the Covid Pandemic hitting hard.
- ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS COLLECTION – the year 2021 the association managed to collect a sum total of Kshs 676,000 up from Kshs 413,000
- COMPLETION OF SANITATION BLOCK – The completion of this project will allow the members to hold gatherings and other social events on their office space.
- COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS/MEMBERS – The WRUA continues to cultivate good working relationships with all our members:
- Community water project who support the WRUA by paying annual subscriptions and implement their mandate of water resource management and enforce rationing programs whenever necessary.
- Commercial farms – Kariki Farm and Likii River Farm – the Managing director of Likii farm Mr. Madhav Lengare, donated of 10 bags of cement, 2 tonnes of sand and 2 tonnes of ballast to help the WRUA complete the sanitation block.
- NAWASCO – the major water user in the sub-catchment greatly supports the WRUA through annual subscriptions and donations. NAWASCO provides technical assistance for the repair of faulty master metres to all projects and has also donated six culverts to be used to construct an access road to the office.
- MKEWP – supported the WRUA to:
- Lobby for policy change from the government to support the activities of the WRUA. This was done through the WID project.
- MKEWP also enabled the WRUA to develop its revenue plan for the year 2021. This enabled the management committee to know their annual
- budget deficit and engage members to get solutions on how to bridge that deficit.
- MKEWP organised a workshop to have all community projects from the WRUA have their voices and opinions heard with regard to the Laikipia County Water Services Bill 2021
- MKEWP brought on board a software company called BAOTREE that specialises in developing systems for water data collection and management in natural resource conservation. Likii WRUA will be engaged in a 2-months pilot period. The system will enable the WRUA to make informed decisions and provide accurate/verified activity reporting on water abstraction, use, conservation, and pollution.
Other projects the WRUA hopes to accomplish soon are:
- Create a recreational park at the riparian land located at Likii Hill Bridge
- Completion of the access road to the Office Block
- Scaling up their existing tree nursery and to include fruit trees.
- Scaling up their bee-keeping project
- Landscaping at the resource centre with the aim of opening up the space for public events
Members of the WRUA re-elected the Management Committee for another 2 year term.
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