Rift Valley faces acute water crisis

The CEO Water Resources and Management Authority Engineer Phillip Olum (R) has a word with Enock Kiminta the chairman Lake Naivasha Waters Users Association (L) and Bernard Omuya from the authority during a stakeholder meeting in Panoroma Hotel in Naivasha. PHOTO: Antony Gitonga

NAKURU: Rift Valley is the most water-stressed region in the country according to the National Water Master Plan.

Despite the recent discovery of underground water in Turkana County, the Water Resources and Management Authority (WRMA) noted that parts of the region face acute water shortage.

According to WRMA Chief Executive Officer Phillip Olum, the plan had identified the amount of ground and surface water in all six regions in the country.

Mr Olum noted that Lake Victoria North, which covers Kitale and Kakamega, had been identified as having adequate ground and surface water. "Rift Valley is the most stressed in the country and Lake Victoria South, which covers Kericho and Kisii, also has adequate water," he said.

He said the plan had established the amount of water for livestock, industrial use and human consumption and challenged counties to make use of it. The CEO was speaking at Panoroma Hotel in Naivasha on Monday during a forum that brought together players from different parts of the country.

Addressing the Press, Olum admitted that the authority was facing a financial crunch, noting it was adversely affecting their services.
Despite the challenge, he said cases of water conflict in the country had dropped drastically due to concerted measures from the authority and stakeholders.

"Naivasha was one of the regions where cases of water conflict were high but under the water allocation plan, the cases have been resolved," he said.

James Ambusa, in charge of finance and administration at WRMA, said they were relying on donors and stakeholders to run the authority.
He challenged the national government to urgently address the issue of funding, noting the current funds were not enough to even run the authority's secretariat. He said pollution was a major threat to water bodies adding that stringent laws should be enacted to fine those polluting them.
"There is need to protect water catchment areas, gazette wetlands and enact strict laws to deal with those polluting water bodies," he said. Chairman of the Water committee in Baringo Sabina Chelagat, admitted the region was facing an acute water shortage. "At times we have floods and we are working on how we can harvest this water and use it during dry spells," she said.