Naro Moru sub catchment is within the Ewaso Nyiro north catchment area. It covers an area of approximately 188 square kilometers with a combined population of more than 65,000 people living within 14 sub-locations that are partly or completely within the sub catchment. It reaches about 103km of Naro Moru river before joining the Ewaso Nyiro.
Naro Moru WRUA was formed in the year 2002 and is a legal entity under the Water Act 2016 and is registered with the Registrar of Societies. Their core mandate is to manage and conserve the sub- catchment for the benefit of all users. Their overall objective is to minimize water related conflicts and ensure that the water resource is equitably shared.
Different experts have done conducted case studies in our catchment. One of these case studies has resulted in real benefits for the WRUA.
Loes van der Pluijm, an expert in integrated water resource management, agriculture, and international development conducted one of these case studies. She was so motivated by her work that she returned to the Netherlands, and found the Youthure Foundation https://youthurefoundation.org/aboutus/ to assist the WRUA in building their capacity and success with a focus on their youth.
Through her involvement, she connected the WRUA to the Dutch Embassy and offered trainings in terms of personal development, communication and managerial skills in the Netherlands which would affect positively the association in its day-to-day performance towards its core mandate and objectives.
In her capacity Loes, also helped to secure funds from Dutch families in the Netherlands for construction of a Farmers Learning Center, dealing in smart and ecosystem-based farming practices, sustainable farming, forest conservation, environmental restoration, sustainable water management, and agro forestry. The Center specifically targets youth and energy to make changes as they are the backbone to the economic growth of our country.
In recognition with our partners, the Mount Kenya Ewaso Water partnership (MKEWP), we had additional workshops and trainings in support of the WRUA Institutional Development (WIDP), where WRUAS were supported to enhance their institutional development. We also worked with BAOTREE to engage our scouts in the collection of catchment characteristic data on in water levels, water management problems, water storage, riparian conditions, pollution, vegetation cover, erosion data, as well as rainfall data.
This helped our WRUA staff with the knowledge and understanding of their catchment and outlined possible solutions. We use this experience to continuously makethe links between sound water management and improved farming techniques and technologies.
The Farmers Learning Center is well on its way to completion. Focusing on improved, sustainable farming practices that are adapting to climate change will make farmers more resilient and benefit the environment. In long term, it will lead to increased GDP and decrease poverty and crimes, not only at local level but also on regional and national level, build on and linking already existing resources, learning by doing for the youths through practical farming activities across the nation and promote the use of innovative and smart agricultural technologies/tools.
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