Nairobi hosts water and wastewater management week
A woman fetches water from a drying river bed at Marimanti in Tharaka-Nithi on October 7, 2016. Nairobi will host the first ever Kenyan-German water and wastewater week beginning October 10, 2016. PHOTO | BONIFACE MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa will officially open the training week at the Kenya Water Institute in South C.
- Heading the German delegation is the Country Director of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Kenya Ms Maren Diale-Schellschmidt.
- Since 2009, some 1.6 million Kenyans living in poor urban areas have benefited from access to clean water through the Kenyan-German cooperation.
Nairobi is hosting the first ever Kenyan-German water and wastewater week beginning Monday.
Water experts from Germany are in the country to train their Kenyan counterparts on the latest technology and trends in water and wastewater management.
The meeting comes in the wake of calls by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for investors to plough into the water industry to keep it afloat.
The sector is struggling to quench the thirst of a rapidly bulging population, with most of the water utilities running on outdated equipment and technology.
A recent study by the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) revealed that many of the 91 water utilities supplying the country’s water are not able to afford maintenance and operation costs and need frequent cash boosts.
Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa will officially open the training week at the Kenya Water Institute in South C.
He will be joined by the German envoy to Kenya Mrs Jutta Frasch.
Heading the German delegation is the Country Director of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Kenya Ms Maren Diale-Schellschmidt.
“Water and sanitation is obviously a big challenge here in Kenya and we are urging the private sector to pay more attention to the sector,” Ms Diale Schellschmidt told the Nation last Friday.
“This is just one of the many projects that Kenya has partnered with Germany on in our five decade cooperation.
“We will not just be exchanging knowledge about new technology in water and wastewater management but we will also discuss business and investment options,” she said.
Since 2009, some 1.6 million Kenyans living in poor urban areas have benefited from access to clean water through the Kenyan-German cooperation.
The five-day high-level training will boost knowledge transfer, exchange of experiences and discuss strategies in matters relating to sustainable water management solutions.
Several workshops will be held throughout the week, focusing on drilling technologies, wastewater treatment and re-use, wastewater and sewage solutions, and how to start a business in the water sector, among other topics.
