Held earlier this month, the workshop brought together officials from the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation and project teams from 13 county implementing water agencies. The sessions focused on orienting implementing agencies on the AfDB requirements covering fiduciary management, environmental and social safeguards, gender considerations, monitoring and evaluation, and project management procedures.
During opening remarks delivered on behalf of the AfDB’s Director General for East Africa, Christopher Mutasa, Lead Investments and Operations Officer, said NUWSSP will target 21 towns across 16 counties. The programme is expected to benefit about 1.4 million people through improved access to water supply, while a further 500 000 people are projected to gain access to improved and safe sanitation services.
NUWSSP is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6, Kenya Vision 2030, and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Mutasa urged implementing agencies to strengthen national coordination, maintain compliance with AfDB procedures, and accelerate delivery to achieve intended outcomes by project completion in 2029.
The workshop was officially opened by Julius Korir, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Water and Sanitation. Korir described the AfDB as a preferred partner in the water sector and emphasised that strong implementation systems will determine NUWSSP performance. “This workshop is where practical knowledge and skills required for successful delivery of the project are acquired,” Korir said.
Samwel Alima, Water Secretary in the Ministry, said NUWSSP will strengthen urban water and sanitation infrastructure, improve service reliability, and support sustainable development in rapidly growing urban centres. NUWSSP is expected to increase water supply capacity by 33,600 m³ per day and expand wastewater treatment by 19,300 m³ per day.
The workshop was jointly convened by the AfDB and the Government of Kenya and facilitated by the bank’s water supply and sanitation specialists Lazarus Phiri and Caroline Adhiambo.
The AfDB’s investments in Kenya’s water sector now amount to just over $1 billion, representing about 27% of the AfDB’s total portfolio in Kenya.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
