ELGEYO MARAKWET, Kenya- In rural areas worldwide, four out of five people do not have access to safe drinking water, per the United Nations Water Development Report 2024.
Y News understands that poverty, inequality, social conflicts, and war can worsen water scarcity, even though water fosters prosperity by providing basic human needs.
Back home, water resources are a significant concern since they are a vital source of worry and conflict in the volatile North Rift region.
“We used to walk to and from the river for hours at a time, and we always needed the men to keep watch lest we got attacked by bandits,” said Florence Birgen, a resident of Kerio Valley in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
However, once The Nature Conservancy (TNC) started water fund programmes in four of Kenya’s most important water towers, this seems to be a thing of the past.
They are the Nandi/River Yala catchments, the Coast (Jumuiya ya Pwani), the Upper Tana, and Eldoret-Iten.
What is Eldoret-Iten Water Fund (EIWF)
For example, the Eldoret-Iten Water Fund (EIWF) is a 6,774 km2 catchment home to over 1.6 million people in Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu counties.
Significant biodiversity hotspots for several native tree species and locally endangered birds and mammal species can be found there.
The water fund model is an example of a collective action mechanism that brings together public sector financiers, local communities, government, and businesses to support long-term investments in nature-based solutions.
“Eldoret and Iten, two rapidly increasing urban centres, are experiencing a shortage of potable water due to rapidly expanding farmland. Cloud forest preserves have been invaded by farmers, who are increasingly heavily farming and grazing on ever-steeper slopes,” said Stephen Kibet, TNC’s Resilience Watershed Manager in charge of the Eldoret-Iten Water Fund.
Kibet observed that deforestation has increased along with the growing demand for timber and charcoal, and law enforcement officials can no longer keep forests safe from these dangers.
“As a result, vital habitat has been lost, the quality of the water has declined, and competition for freshwater among consumers has grown,” added Kibet.
What ELDOWAS is doing to boost water supply in Eldoret town
Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS) Managing Director Peter Biwott said that Eldoret town, currently seeking to attain city status and is known for its world-class athletes, is facing a challenge: meeting the growing demand for clean water.
“In collaboration with TNC, our approach involves working with public and private sector organisations, farmers, and communities to implement nature-based solutions for sustainable soil and water conservation,” Biwott stated.
He claimed that by working together, they are repairing wetlands, embracing healthy farming techniques, and replanting and protecting native forests.
“However, that’s not all! Additionally, we are enabling farmers through enhanced value chains for non-forest goods, fruit trees, honey, and animal rearing. We guarantee a continuous investment in the EIWF since we have strong governance frameworks. We’re elevating it to a new plane,” Biwott continued.
Eldoret currently has 500,000 inhabitants, and the water demand is increasing. ELDOWAS supplies about 42.5 million litres per day, but the market for Eldoret is about 65 million litres per day.
Elias Kimaiyo, an environment and rights defender from the Indigenous Sengwer community, said that, thanks to EIWF-led initiatives, residents living upstream practised climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land conservation methods.
“Human activity and climate change are affecting habitats at previously unheard-of and unsustainable rates. Because of this, we are leveraging conservation efforts, expanding collaborations, organising community action, and influencing public policy as leaders of communities living upstream to prioritise nature,” explained Kimaiyo, who was flanked by Mzee Paul Kiptum, a member of Sengwer Council of Elders.
Eldoret town depends on water from Chebara Dam. Situated in Elgeyo Marakwet County, the 12 km2 dam commissioned in 1999 is fed by the Moiben River, which rises in the Embobut Forest within the Cherangany Hills Forest Reserve, home to the Sengwer community.
Why do urban areas like Eldoret and Iten need a steady water supply
Meanwhile, Biwott reiterated that EIWF seeks to reduce forest degradation in the Cherangany and Elgeyo Hills and the North Mau water towers.
“By working with local farmers to implement sustainable soil and water conservation measures, the project expects to increase farm and household income by 30 pc while protecting local biodiversity hotspots,” he explained.
According to Biwott, by 2025, Kenyans should expect the restoration and improvement of 120,000 hectares of land, the growth of a staggering one million trees, the construction of 2,000 water pans for household use and irrigation, and the installation of 10 water quality and quantity monitoring stations.
“With EIWF, we’re securing clean water for the City of Champions, preserving our natural heritage, and empowering communities. It’s time to raise a glass to a sustainable future,” he added.
Under the project, Kibet says, they are specifically looking at strategies to conserve water catchment areas so that downstream users, mainly in Eldoret and Iten, have a steady supply of water.
“We at TNC are aware that urban centres are growing. For example, Eldoret is preparing to become a city and establishing economic zones. They need a steady water supply failure, which might drive away potential investors,” said Kibet.
With the programme firmly in place, Kibet insisted that farmers and locals will no longer suffer the same detrimental health effects from biologically and chemically contaminated runoff that results from unplanned agricultural growth and rising nitrate levels in the water.
