By Roselyne Obala
Ten states have been urged to show commitment towards signing a legal document on the management of the Nile.
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Executive Director Henriette Ndombe said failure by members to sign the agreement on environmental conservation of rivers was a draw back.
Speaking at a celebration to mark NBI’s tenth anniversary at Ikuywa, Kakamega, Ms Ndombe said signing and complying with the co-operative agreement document would enhance achievement of the shared vision of the Nile people.
"Member states should show commitment as more than 160 million people live in the basin and 80 million depend directly on the Nile," she said.
She said despite discussions on the nine chapters, the tenth remained critical.
Ndombe noted in a speech read on her behalf by Comas Muli from the NBI that Article 14 (a) and (b), which deals with the water security of the basin countries, remained a problem among the members.
"This section is yet to be agreed on by the member states and remains a stumbling block towards realising the goals of the NBI," she said.
Governments, putting in mind the old treaty of 1929 and 1956, which gives Egypt full control of the Nile, she noted, have held the section dearly.
