Dreams deferred as water reforms fail to quench the thirst of Kenyans

• PS says benefits to trickle down in 3 years as users still live with curse of dry taps and burst sewers

Eight years since the commercialisation of water services in the country, many consumers have yet to benefit from improved water supply and sewerage services.

A month ago, Mombasa suffered an acute water shortage while President Kibaki was in town on holiday. Several leaders demanded the dissolution of the Coast Water Services Board, accusing it of failing to end the endemic shortages.

The story is not much different in Nairobi where the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company has announced that the water-rationing programme will continue as long as there is insufficient water to supply the city.

The cases of the two cities may appear isolated, but they represent everything that is wrong with efforts to transform Kenya’s water sector.

Water shortages, rationing and poor sewerage infrastructure are rampant in major towns. From Nairobi to Mombasa to Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru, the water crisis is a constant feature.

The reforms that came into effect in 2002 shifted the responsibility of managing water and sewerage services from local authorities accused of mismanagement over the years to new water companies.

With the reforms, many consumers in urban areas expected fair prices, uninterrupted water supply and an end to bursting sewer pipes.

But nothing exemplifies the crisis in the water sector better than the persistent water shortages, allegations of corruption and absence of efficient services in major towns. There are still reports of water that is unaccounted for, inflated bills and poor revenue and debt collection systems.

A report by the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) shows that while a few water companies like those in Nyeri, Isiolo, Eldoret, Nanyuki, Malindi, Garissa, Embu, Meru and Nakuru have improved services, several others continue to disappoint.

In Nakuru, the water company is unable to meet demand, and not many consumers are connected to sewer lines. Cheebara dam, which serves Eldoret under the Lake Victoria North Water Board, operates at below capacity.

The management cites this as the reason they cannot meet the needs of the consumers. The water company needs 26,000 cubic metres of water to meet daily demand.

Nyeri is widely cited as having the most efficient service. The permanent secretary in the ministry of Water and Irrigation says Nyeri Water Service Company has applied good practices and has managed to collect revenue efficiently. The unaccounted for water in Nyeri is the lowest in the country, and since 2006 water shortages have not been reported in the town.

Even some of the water companies acknowledge they haven’t achieved much. Many of them are on record as saying they are operating below capacity and cannot meet the demand for water in their jurisdictions.

But they cite various challenges including high expectations among consumers, drought, poor infrastructure, lack of clearly defined roles in the laws governing water services, resistance by local authorities and laxity in enforcement.

The Water Act created new institutions — water service providers and water service boards under the ministry of Water and Irrigation — to ensure consumers have access to efficient, adequate, affordable and clean water.

The Act also created WASREB, a non-commercial state corporation responsible for ensuring that water companies adhere to set rules and standards. The state corporation also determines water tariffs and issues licences to the water boards.

But confusion has reigned in some cases over the roles played by the water boards and the water service providers.

In instances where sewer lines have become blocked, the water companies have sought to blame the boards, claiming the latter are responsible for developing the sewer infrastructure. The water companies argue that they are responsible for maintenance.

The water boards are already involved in various projects around the country, including the rehabilitation of dams and sewer lines. For instance, the Athi Water Services Board is involved in the rehabilitation of the Sasumua dam and responsible for the upgrade of the infrastructure of the sewerage network in Nairobi and its environs.

In the past the Water ministry would supervise all water activities, but now this role has been taken over by WASREB.

David Stower, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Water, said there was a need to separate the roles, but he defended the water companies and boards against accusations they have not done a good job.

Devolved services

“The Act decentralised and devolved the services. Before, the water services were inefficient and unsustainable. Now, the water companies are able to offset their costs. In short, they are efficient,” he said.

The PS said the boards’ function is to develop assets and projects working closely with the water companies entrusted with provision of the service. The autonomous structure in the water sector, Mr Stower said, had ensured smooth operation unlike in the past when the ministry was given a lot of powers in terms of regulation, asset management and financing.

“The water boards play a very important role. Should the water companies require services that they cannot afford, the water boards come in to assist, and they can borrow funds,” he said, adding that the sector suffered from many years of underfunding and neglected infrastructure.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the water sector was only allocated Sh2 billion, a sharp contrast to the present funding of Sh15 billion. According to WASREB, the water reforms have also been undermined by resistance from councils and rural communities, lack of transparency among staff of water service boards, and expectations by water consumers that water should be free.

Bernadette Njoroge, the legal and enforcement officer at WASREB, said they were restricted in how far they could go in enforcing the law in the absence of rules and regulations under the Act.

“Hopefully, this year they will be gazetted,” she said.

“But more Kenyans are paying for water happily, collection efficiency is rising, illegal connections are being reported and political interference in the water boards is diminishing.”

Caroline Mungara, a water and sanitation specialist at the NGO Institute of Water and Environment, said the water reforms are ongoing and people should give the water companies and boards time.

“It will take time. The ownership has to be embraced by the communities,” she said.

Ms Mungara, who has worked closely with water companies in North Eastern Province, says investing in water in the region is challenging because the area is sparsely populated. She says the board’s initiative to cluster water service providers is bearing fruit.

Robert Gakubia, the CEO of WASREB, says from their experience inspecting water service boards and water service providers, there are still challenges in governance and accountability.

“These require time to build and develop if we are to have a sustainable water sector. There are no quick fixes,” said Mr Gakubia.

The ministry of Water and Irrigation says it will take three years for the full impact of commercialisation to trickle down.

“There have been unforeseen challenges such as rapid development of urban areas. But it could have been better. These constraints continue to challenge the quality of services,” said Mr Stower.