MOUNT KENYA EWASO WATER PARTNERSHIP (MKEWP)

The Mount Kenya-Ewaso Water Partnership (MKEWP) was launched on 14th October 2016 following a commitment from various private, public and civil society partners to collectively address water related risks in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro North Catchment. Driven by its motto, “Maji yetu, Jukumu letu,” (“Our water, Our responsibility”). MKEWP provides a platform to address challenges regarding: water allocation and use management, water resource infrastructure development and institutional capacity in the catchment. In recognition of the complex water resource management challenges and the common interest in socio-economic development and environmental conservation, water users, WRUAs, national and county government agencies and departments, civil society, water service providers, conservancies, financing institutions and research organizations formed the MKEWP. MKEWP‘s task is to provide a platform for dialogue, information sharing, collective action, advocacy and capacity development in order to address the identified challenges.

Membership

MKEWP is a multi-stakeholder partnership comprised of private, public and civil societies within the Ewaso Ngiro basin. The MKEWP has already received commitment from 30 partners from rural WaterResource Users Associations, Community Forest Associations, Laikipia, Meru Isiolo, Nyandarua and Nyeri county governments, civilsociety, private sector (commercial growers), parastatals, researchinstitutions, conservancies and water service providers.

Milestones

Established on 14^th October 2016 MKEWP formed a council in 2017 comprised of x members. In 2018 MKEWP developed its Strategic Plan that would guide its operations in the next 5 years. MKEWP has been able to attract group membership from 11 Commercial Growers and 17 WRUAs and has also attracted financial support and partners from 2030 WRG group, CORDAID, SNV, WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL, DARWIN, FFI and more. MKEWP has also been able to attain a secretariat position in the 2030 WRG Governing group.

Geographical Cover

MKEWP operates in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro North catchment area that stretches from the humid slopes of Mount Kenya (Alt 5200m asl) and the Aberdares where numerous pristine mountain streams flow across the moorlands and forests down through the semi-humid farming area and onto the semi-arid rangelands of Archer’s Post (Alt 300m asl) which has an arid climate. Below Archer’s Post the river flows towards the Lorian Swamps which is a very flat area that is seasonally flooded when the river rises out of its channel. . This lower part of the Ewaso Ng’iro north catchment area is an extensive semi-arid pastoral rangeland.

The 14,373 km2 of the upper catchment area supports approximately 1.8 million people in Isiolo, Laikipia, Meru, Nyeri, and Samburu counties who make their living in a variety of different ways.. Smallholder farming under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions supplies cereals, fruit and vegetables for the rural and emerging urban markets of Nanyuki, Isiolo, Naromoru, Rumuruti, Timau, and Nyahururu. There is a thriving and expanding commercial horticultural and floricultural sector that produces vegetables and flowers for local and export markets.

The tourism and recreational sector is based on the scenic and environmental resources within the national parks and reserves, forests, wildlife conservancies and pastoral rangelands. The vibrant livestock sector is active on the commercial cattle ranches and pastoral rangelands. All of these different livelihoods depend on the availability of water. The rainfall and water resources are unevenly distributed putting livelihoods and enterprises at risk. The management and utilization of the water resources is therefore a limiting factor in the socio-economic development of the catchment area. Competition for the water resources in the dry season has triggered water use conflicts, degraded environmental conditions and restricted economic development. Despite efforts by numerous actors to address a myriad of water resource challenges, the situation has continued to deteriorate.