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Water Papers
Water Papers
June 2011
KENYA GROUNDWATER GOVERNANCE
CASE STUDY
Albert Mumma, Michael Lane, Edward Kairu, Albert Tuinhof, and Rafik Hirji
Water Papers are published by the Water Unit, Transport, Water and ICT Department, Sustainable
Development Vice Presidency. Water Papers are available on-line at www.worldbank.org/water.
Comments should be e-mailed to the authors.
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................................. vi
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................................................ viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................................ xi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................xiv
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. GROUNDWATER: A COMMON RESOURCE POOL .......................................................................................................1
1.2. CASE STUDY BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................3
1.3. GROUNDWATER GOVERNANCE ............................................................................................................................3
1.4. LINKAGES IN GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT ..........................................................................................................4
2. KENYA: WATER RESOURCES AVAILABILITY AND USE ..................................................................................... 5
2.1. WATER RESOURCES ...........................................................................................................................................5
2.2. WATER IN KENYA’S ECONOMY .............................................................................................................................6
2.3. GROUNDWATER AND ITS USE ...............................................................................................................................6
2.4. TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS ................................................................................................................................7
3. THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................. 9
3.1. POLICIES AND LEGISLATION..................................................................................................................................9
3.2. RELATED POLICIES AND PLANS ............................................................................................................................12
3.3. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS .....................................................................................................13
3.4. REGULATION AND CONTROLS .............................................................................................................................15
3.5. INSTITUTIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS ..........................................................................................17
3.6. MONITORING .................................................................................................................................................24
3.7. FINANCING ....................................................................................................................................................26
4. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ............................................................................ 29
4.1. CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON GROUNDWATER IN KENYA .......................................................................................29
4.2. ADAPTATION: MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE .......................................................................................................31
5. CASE STUDY AQUIFERS ................................................................................................................................ 33
5.1. OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................................33
5.2. MERTI AQUIFER ..............................................................................................................................................35
5.3. THE NAIROBI AQUIFER SYSTEM..........................................................................................................................41
5.4. THE TIWI AQUIFER...........................................................................................................................................47
5.5. THE BARICHO AQUIFER ....................................................................................................................................52
5.6. SUMMARY OF RISKS AND BENEFITS OF THE CSAS ...................................................................................................57
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS .......................................................................... 61
6.1. EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER GOVERNANCE .....................................................................................................61
6.2. THE NEED FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT ......................................................................................................................63
6.3. IWRM AND CONJUNCTIVE USE ..........................................................................................................................64
6.4. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................65
6.5. CONCLUDING RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................................................................................69
7. ANNEX 1: STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS.................................................................................................. 71
8. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 74
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 86
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
TABLES
TABLE 1. BENEFITS AND COSTS OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION� ............................................................................................................ 2
TABLE 2. WATER RESOURCES AVAILABILITY BY CATCHMENT ................................................................................................................ 5
9 3
TABLE 3. WATER RESOURCES AVAILABILITY VALUES FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES (10 M /YR) ................................................................ 5
TABLE 4. KEY ISSUES FROM THE NATIONAL POLICY ON WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ................................................................... 10
TABLE 5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WATER SECTOR INSTITUTIONS ............................................................................................ 18
TABLE 6. WRUA REGISTRATION STATUS BY REGION, 2010 ............................................................................................................. 21
TABLE 7. WRMA STAFF COMPLEMENT, 2010 .............................................................................................................................. 23
TABLE 8. DEDICATED MONITORING BOREHOLE NETWORK ................................................................................................................ 25
TABLE 9. WRMA DEVELOPMENT BUDGET, 2009/10 .................................................................................................................... 27
TABLE 10. MOWI BUDGETS, 2004-13 (KSHS. BILLION) ................................................................................................................ 27
TABLE 11. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE ON GROUNDWATER ACTIVITIES (KSHS. BILLION) ......................................................................... 28
TABLE 12. EAST AFRICAN REGIONAL TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION AND EXTREMES FOR SRES A1B ....................................................... 29
TABLE 13. ADAPTATION MEASURES FOR WATER RESOURCES (UNFCC 2007) ..................................................................................... 31
TABLE 14. CASE STUDY AQUIFERS’ CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................................................................................... 35
3
TABLE 15. ABSTRACTION FROM THE MERTI AQUIFER OVER TIME (M /YR) ........................................................................................... 36
TABLE 16. RESOURCE SETTINGS, MERTI AQUIFER ........................................................................................................................... 39
TABLE 17. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, MERTI AQUIFER .............................................................................................................. 40
TABLE 18. ABSTRACTION FROM THE NAS OVERTIME ...................................................................................................................... 41
TABLE 19. ABSTRACTION FROM THE NAS BY AREA, 2009 ............................................................................................................... 42
TABLE 20. RESOURCE SETTINGS, NAIROBI AQUIFER SYSTEM ............................................................................................................. 45
TABLE 21. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, NAIROBI AQUIFER SYSTEM ................................................................................................ 46
TABLE 22. RESOURCE SETTINGS, TIWI AQUIFER ............................................................................................................................. 50
TABLE 23. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, TIWI AQUIFER ................................................................................................................. 51
TABLE 24. RESOURCES SETTING, BARICHO AQUIFER ....................................................................................................................... 54
TABLE 25. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BARICHO AQUIFER ........................................................................................................... 56
TABLE 26. TYPOLOGIES AND THREATS TO CASE STUDY AQUIFERS ....................................................................................................... 58
TABLE 27. RELATIVE VALUE OF ABSTRACTION FROM CSAS ............................................................................................................... 59
TABLE 28. EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER GOVERNANCE FOR CSAS AND IN NATIONAL CAPACITY .......................................................... 62
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
FIGURES
FIGURE 1. LINKAGES IN GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................... 4
FIGURE 2. LOCATIONS OF CATCHMENT AREAS................................................................................................................................ 20
FIGURE 3. LOCATION MAP OF THE CASE STUDY AQUIFERS (CSAS) ...................................................................................................... 34
FIGURE 4. THE TIWI AQUIFER ..................................................................................................................................................... 47
FIGURE 5. CONCEPTUAL CROSS-SECTION THROUGH THE BARICHO AQUIFER ......................................................................................... 52
FIGURE 6. A LOGICAL GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK................................................................................................... 65
FIGURE 7. PRAGMATIC APPROACHES TO AQUIFER MANAGEMENT PLANNING ....................................................................................... 66
FIGURE 8. PROPOSED NATIONAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................... 67
FIGURE 9. PRELIMINARY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR THE SOUTH COAST AQUIFERS ....................................................................... 68
BOXES
BOX 1: GROUNDWATER-RELATED TOPICS FROM THE WATER ACT ................................................................................................... 11
BOX 2: SUMMARY OF POLICIES AND LEGISLATION ........................................................................................................................ 15
BOX 3: WRUA IN BASIN WATER MANAGEMENT: THE LAKE NAIVASHA CASE ..................................................................................... 22
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
PREFACE
Groundwater comprises 97 percent of the world’s readily accessible freshwater and provides the rural,
urban, industrial and irrigation water supply needs of 2 billion people around the world. As the more
easily accessed surface water resources are already being used, pressure on groundwater is growing. In
the last few decades, this pressure has been evident through rapidly increasing pumping of groundwater,
accelerated by the availability of cheap drilling and pumping technologies and, in some countries, energy
subsidies that distort decisions about exploiting groundwater. This accelerated growth in groundwater
exploitation—unplanned, unmanaged, and largely invisible—has been dubbed by prominent
hydrogeologists ―the silent revolution.‖ It is a paradox that such a vast and highly valuable resource—
which is likely to become even more important as climate change increasingly affects surface water
sources—has been so neglected by governments and the development community at a time when
interest and support for the water sector as a whole is at an all-time high.
This case study is a background paper for the World Bank economic and sector analysis (ESW) —
entitled ―Too Big To Fail: The Paradox of Groundwater Governance‖—that aims to understand and
address the paradox at the heart of the groundwater governance challenge in order to elevate the need
for investing in and promoting proactive reforms toward its management. The ESW examines the
impediments to better governance of groundwater, and explores opportunities for using groundwater to
help developing countries adapt to climate change. Its recommendations will guide the Bank in its
investments on groundwater and provide the Bank’s contributions to the GEF-funded global project—
―Groundwater Governance: A Framework for Country Action.‖
Five countries—India, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, and Tanzania—were selected as case studies to
understand the practical issues that arise in establishing robust national governance frameworks for
groundwater and in implementing these frameworks at the aquifer level. This report describes the results
from the Kenyan groundwater governance case study.
This case study focused on both the national and local levels. At the national level, it analyzed the
country’s policy, legal, and institutional arrangements to identify the demand and supply management and
incentive structures that have been established for groundwater management. At the local level, it
assessed the operations, successes, and constraints facing local institutions in the governance of four
aquifers. The Tiwi and Baricho aquifers are small, strategic coastal aquifers that are essential for water
supply to Kenya’s south coast; the Merti aquifer is a large fossil aquifer that provides one of the few
reliable water sources in the semi-arid northeast of Kenya; and the Nairobi aquifer system is of major
economic importance to Kenya providing supplementary or emergency water for domestic and industrial
use in Nairobi complementing the primary surface water supply sources.
This case study found that, with about 17 percent of renewable groundwater resources being used, there
is considerable potential for groundwater to support Kenya’s development. Kenya has an excellent,
modern water governance framework. The issues lie in its implementation. There are overlaps in
perceived responsibilities between the Ministry and the implementing agencies (WRMA, water boards
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and water service providers), particularly with respect to data handling and sharing. The WRMA does not
have the trained staff, or the technical or financial resources, or the right structure to manage aquifers.
Consequently, it is not able to enforce legal provisions for controlling abstractions, pollution and borehole
drilling. Finally, there is a poor level of understanding amongst both water sector staff and the public
about the specific characteristics of groundwater that affect its management and the connectivity between
surface water and groundwater.
The report provides a comprehensive strategy to develop effective groundwater management and a pilot
groundwater management plan. Kenya’s draft Policy for the Protection of Groundwater provides most of
the requirements for improving groundwater governance, including participation and empowerment of
groundwater users, decentralization of management to local level, integration of surface and groundwater
management, improving monitoring and data collection, identifying sites for MAR, mapping strategic
aquifers and conjunctive use opportunities, and identifying groundwater conservation areas.
Consequently the most important action is to accept, adopt and implement this policy. But there is also a
need to take action, and the report proposes that a pilot groundwater management plan be drawn up for
an aquifer such as the Tiwi aquifer to generate agreement on the actions needed to protect this important
resource before it experiences significant problems. The opportunities provided by the ongoing and
planned preparations of future water supply source masterplans for both the Nairobi area and the Coast
region should be seized to direct attention on and address the groundwater management and governance
challenges as part of integrated water resources management.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
ASALs Arid and semi-arid lands
AWSB Athi Water Services Board
BCM Billion cubic meters
bgl below ground level
BGS British Geological Survey
CAACs Catchment Area Advisory Committees
CCN City Council of Nairobi
CMS Catchment management strategy
CSA Case study aquifer
CSOs Civil society organizations
CTL Central Testing Laboratory, Ministry of Water and Irrigation
CWSB Coast Water Services Board
EIA Environmental impact assessment
EMCA Environmental Management and Coordination Act
ENSO El Niño/Southern Oscillation
FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation (UN)
GCA Groundwater Conservation Area
GDE Groundwater-dependent ecosystems
GOD Groundwater confinement, overlying strata, depth to groundwater
GoK Government of Kenya
GWO Groundwater officer (WRMA)
IAH International Association of Hydrogeologists
IGRAC International Groundwater Assessment Centre
IHP International Hydrological Programme
ILEC International Lake Environment Committee Foundation
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
ITC International Institute of Aerospace Survey & Earth Sciences, Enschede, The
Netherlands
IWRA International Water Resources Association
IWRM Integrated water resources management
IWRM & WE IWRM & water efficiency plan
JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency
KARA Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations
KCC Kwale County Council
KEBS Kenya Bureau of Standards
KEPSA Kenya Private Sector Alliance
KEWASNET Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network
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KEWI Kenya Water Institute
KFS Kenya Forestry Service
KISCOL Kwale International Sugar Company Limited
KLDA Karen Lang’ata District Association
KSFR Kenya Society for Fluoride Research
KShs. Kenya shillings
KWASCO Kwale Water and Sewerage Company Limited
KWIA Kenya Water Industry Association
KWS Kenya Wildlife Service
MAR Managed aquifer recharge
MALWASCO Malindi Water and Sewerage Company Limited
MCM Million cubic meters
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
MEMR Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources
MLD megaliters per day
MoA Ministry of Agriculture
MoH Ministry of Health (Medical Services; & Public Health & Sanitation)
MoL Ministry of Lands
MoLH Ministry of Lands and Housing
MoNMD Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development
MoRDA Ministry of Regional Development Authorities
MoWI Ministry of Water and Irrigation
MCTA Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association
NAS Nairobi Aquifer System
NCCRS National Climate Change Response Strategy
NCWSC Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company Limited
NESC National Economic and Social Council
NWCPC National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation
NWMP National Water Master Plan
NWRMS National Water Resources Management Strategy
NWSB Northern Water Services Board
PA Pastoralist Association
PPPG Proposal for a Policy for the Protection of Groundwater
PPP Public-Private participation
RBOs River basin organizations
RO Regional office (WRMA)
SAT Soil aquifer treatment
SCHA South Coast Hotelkeepers Association
SCMP Subcatchment management plan
SCRA South Coast Residents Association
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
SEI Stockholm Environmental Institute
SKM Sinclair Knight Merz
SRO Sub-regional office (WRMA)
TDS Total dissolved solids
TI Transparency International
TPZ Total Protection Zone
UN United Nations
UNEP UN Environment Programme
UNESCO UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation
UNFCC UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF UN Children’s Fund
USEPA U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
USGS U.S. Geological Survey
WAP Water allocation plan
WASREB Water Services Regulatory Board
WRMA Water Resources Management Authority
WRMR Water resources management rules
WRUA Water Resources Users Association
WSB Water Service Board
WSP Water service provider
NOTES: UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL CURRENCY IS IN U.S. DOLLARS; ALL WEIGHTS ARE IN METRIC TONS
.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was prepared as part of the World Bank Group’s economic and sector analysis (ESW) project
1
entitled ―Too big to fail: The paradox of groundwater governance .‖ It was prepared by Professor Albert
2
Mumma, Professor Edward Kairu, Mr Mike Lane, Dr Albert Tuinhof, Dr Rafik Hirji and Dr Richard Davis .
The case study benefitted from the support from the Water Partnership Program (a multi donor trust fund)
and the Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (TFESSD) made available
by the governments of Finland and Norway both managed by the World Bank and from the support of the
government of Kenya.
In the course of producing this ―Kenya Groundwater Case Study‖ report, the authors are grateful for the
guidance received and suggestions from a host of individuals, institutions, and organizations, of whom
the most significant have been John Rao Nyaoro, director for water resources in the Ministry of Water
and Irrigation; Phillip Olum (CEO, WRMA), and Peter Supeyo (National GWO, WRMA). Many World Bank
information resources, notably the Groundwater Management Advisory Team (GWMATE) series, as well
as other studies commissioned by the World Bank were of great assistance.
Constructive comments and views were received from Francis Mugo (former Managing Director,
NCWSC) and Lawrence Mwangi (former CEO, AWSB) and were taken into account. Other valuable
comments were provided by Richard Cheruiyot (WASREB), and thanks must go to Robert Gakubia (CEO
WASREB) for his cogently expressed views.
The principal stakeholder in the study, the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), has been
the source of much of the information used in the study. Information and views were made freely available
by Joseph Kinyua (TM/NRM Coordinator WRMA); Francis Kimotho (SRM Mombasa); Mwaura Murigi
(EO) and Geoffrey Wachira (SRM; both of Nairobi SRO); Francis Gachuga (TM Tana); and Tom Nkubito
and Mr. Simon Wangombe (GWO and RM respectively, ENNCA). The CWSB freely provided data not
available elsewhere; specific thanks go to Andy Tola (CEO), Donda Chihanga (TSM), David Kanui (PM),
and George Mwaura (OIC, Tiwi Wellfield). The challenges faced by CWSB in bulk water supply provision,
not fully understood by most of the water sector and certainly not by the public, were made very clear.
Margaret Aleke and the KEBS Consultative Committee on Excess Fluoride in Water provided valuable
data on both fluoride prevalence and groundwater use. We particularly thank Jane Mumbi (Quality
Assurance, NCWSC) and William Ndemwa (NWCPC). The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru also provided
useful information; their role in promoting the use of low-fluoride water has not received the public praise
that it deserves.
Valuable comments regarding the role of CAACs were received from Graham Alder (Athi CAAC) and by
Prof. Gedion C.M. Mutiso, the former chairman of the Athi CAAC. Mention should also be made of the
1
During the Project Concept Note review, the proposed title for this World Bank Economic and Sector Work was ―Improving
groundwater governance: The Political economy of groundwater policy and institutional reforms‖.
2
It is based on a larger report prepared by Professor Albert Mumma, Professor Edward Kairu and Mr. Mike Lane and
commissioned for the World Bank economic and sector analysis under the direction of Rafik Hirji (team leader).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
May 2007 CAAC Operationalization Workshop (in Kisumu), in which many of the issues the CAACs
continue to express today were first aired. The process of forming the Mbagathi WRUA (in which one of
the authors has been closely involved) was of considerable value in shaping parts of this report, and to
this end thanks are owed to the Interim Committee under Cilla White and to Anthony Kiamba, the WRMA
Athi SRO.
Discussions with T. G. Ndorongo (formerly of the Physical Planning Department, Ministry of Lands and
Housing, and now with the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development) and J. K. Barreh (City Council
of Nairobi) added a public planning dimension to the study. Useful discussions were held with the South
Coast Residents Association, chaired by Luciana Parazzi Basile, and with Joe Schwartz, general
manager of Base Titanium Ltd (formerly Tiomin Ltd); both presented resident association views of
groundwater resources management, in particular underlining the poor public understanding of the role of
the WRMA, and its perceived lack of transparency in water allocation decision making. Two of the
authors of this report are active members of the KLDA, and were able to take into account the views
previously expressed by that body regarding groundwater resources management. Similar involvement
with the KARA and the KEWASNET has also informed the content of this report.
The private sector view was provided by a number of individuals, and extends over the five years since
the genesis of the WRMA. In particular, the views of David Gatende (MD, Davis & Shirtliff Ltd), Kumar P.
Bhalla (MD Drilling Spares & Services Ltd), Mick Brooke (PM, EA Drillcon Ltd), Surinder Singh Birdi
(Director, Turn-O-Metal Ltd), Chrysantus M. Gicheruh (Earth Water Ltd), and Dan Odero (freelance
hydrogeologist) are acknowledged. Mr. Gicheruh in particular contributed valuable comments to both the
workshop and to the broader aspects of the role of the private sector in regulation, groundwater
monitoring, and management.
Last but not least, our thanks go to Dr. Dan Olago. In addition to his role as workshop facilitator, Dr. Olago
has been of great help in describing training capacity and needs for the groundwater sector.
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APPROVING MANAGER:
Julia Bucknall, Sector Manager, TWIWA
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report presents a case study on groundwater governance in Kenya, conducted under the aegis of a
World Bank economic and sector analysis project entitled ―Too Big to Fail: The Paradox of Groundwater
3
Governance. ‖ The objectives of the study were to (a) describe groundwater resource and
socioeconomic settings for four selected aquifers; (b) describe governance arrangements for groundwater
management in Kenya; and (c) identify the relevance of these arrangements for planning and
implementing climate change mitigation measures.
3
Kenya is a water-scarce state (534 m /capita/yr in 2009), with a resource endowment of 21 billion cubic
meters a year. Groundwater is of considerable importance, more so than it might seem given that it only
constitutes about 5 percent of the nation’s renewable water resources. In the 2009 Census, 43 percent of
rural and 24 percent of urban households stated that they relied on a spring, well, or borehole as their
main source of water. Its intrinsic advantages—its ubiquity, the speed with which it can be developed, the
relatively low capital cost of development, its drought resilience, and its ability to meet water needs ―on
demand‖—make it a critical component in rural water supply and for small (and sometimes large) towns,
as well as domestic water, irrigation, industry, and commercial uses. However, despite its importance,
the value of groundwater is not appreciated, nor is its vulnerability understood.
3
During the Project Concept Note review, the proposed title for this Economic and Sector Work was ―Improving
groundwater governance: The Political economy of groundwater policy and institutional reforms‖.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Kenya case study aquifers
2 2
The four case study aquifers (CSAs) vary greatly in size (from a few km to 140,000 km ), agro-climatic
zone (semi-arid to semi-humid), and land use (extensive pastoralism to intensive urbanization). Each has
unique hydrogeological and socioeconomic characteristics, and each faces different management
challenges. CSA characteristics are summarized below.
Case study aquifer characteristics
Parameter Merti Nairobi (NAS) Tiwi Baricho
Aquifer type (Semi)-consolidated Inter-montane valley Major alluvial Major alluvial
sedimentary fill
Lithology Clays, sands, Lavas & lake Clays & sands Alluvial sand &
sandstones, sediments gravel
limestones
Dominant flow regime Inter-granular Inter-granular / fissure Inter-granular Inter-granular
Scale Regional/ Regional Local Local
Transboundary
2
Surface area, km 60,900 fresh water 6,500 ï?¾30 ï?¾2
Recharge, MCM/yr 3.3 (modern) 109 21 ï‚»83
Abstraction, MCM/yr 5.3 58 4.8 22
Pollution vulnerability 0.1 Negligible - low 0.1 Negligible - low 0.3 Low - 0.6 High
moderate
Saltwater vulnerability N/A N/A 0.5 Moderate 0.1 Negligible
Depletion vulnerability Moderate/local Serious/extensive Low Low
Dominant water use (in ï‚· refugee camps ï‚· domestic ï‚· public W/S ï‚· public W/S
approximate order of ï‚· livestock ï‚· commercial
volumetric use)
ï‚· domestic ï‚· industrial
ï‚· public W/S ï‚· irrigation
ï‚· public W/S
WRMA Type Strategic / Special Strategic Major Major
WRMA Status Satisfactory / Alert Alarm Alert Satisfactory
Notes: MCM is millions of cubic meters; WRMA is the Water Resources Management Authority
These aquifers—and aquifers elsewhere in Kenya—are not ―managed‖ in any true sense; new water
allocations are not based on a formal assessment process or a water allocation plan. Indeed, the poor
level of compliance by water users in respect to water permits and the payment of water use charges
make water allocation an uncertain exercise at best. The groundwater conservation area (GCA) meant to
protect the Nairobi aquifer system (NAS) has completely failed to achieve this objective. The complete
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
lack of rational land use planning has meant that attempts to restrict abstraction have been severely
constrained by indifference, commercial interests, and a building boom.
The land-groundwater interface
Groundwater exists because a suitable body of geological material is available for recharge and storage.
For that storage to be maintained, there must be a recharge zone. Some types of land use may pollute
recharge water and thus aquifers. These can be point sources, such as an industry discharging waste
that mixes with recharge water; a pit latrine leaching nutrient and bacteria into the aquifer; or diffuse
sources, such as fertilizers (nitrates, phosphates) or pesticides (toxins).
A second element involves land use planning. Planners in Kenya do not understand that land use plans
not only change aquifer recharge and discharge characteristics, but also influence aquifer use patterns.
The classic Kenya case is the NAS, where planning permission is given for development in areas with
insufficient or unavailable municipal water supplies, leaving groundwater as the only available water
resource.
Governance aspects of groundwater management in Kenya
In Kenya all water resources are vested in the state; water use is subject to approval and a water permit,
typically defining water use, the volumes authorized for abstraction, and the duration of the permit.
Notwithstanding the express provisions of the law, in practice groundwater management is strongly
influenced by the common law perception of groundwater as a private resource belonging to the owner of
the land. It therefore is perceived and treated as a typical common pool resource, and the majority of
water users exploit it for short-term gain and ignore the long-term consequences of unregulated use.
Kenya does not have policies, laws, and institutions dedicated specifically to the management of its
groundwater. Rather, groundwater management is subsumed under broader policy, legal, and
institutional frameworks dealing with the management of water resources, or more broadly, natural
resources, and with land use and physical planning. Existing policy, legal, and institutional frameworks
are deficient from the perspective of groundwater management. An overhaul is required to bring them in
line with the requirements of frameworks for sound groundwater management. Deficiencies have been
identified in key areas.
Groundwater management decision making is sector-based and on the whole ad hoc; there is no
mechanism for coordination and for fostering cross-sector linkages. Consequently, the management of
groundwater resources has continued to be carried on in isolation from the management of land and
other land-based resources, with the inevitable consequence that the implications of management
decisions in critical areas such as physical planning, land use planning, and agricultural activities have
often been overlooked. At the same time, groundwater decision making remains overly centralized, with
limited real involvement of stakeholder units, such as catchment area advisory committees (CAACs) and
water resources user associations (WRUAs).
Key groundwater conservation provisions in the law have not been acted upon and given effect.
Provisions exist for groundwater conservation plans that establish a framework for taking special
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measures for the protection of groundwater—in cases where there is a risk of over abstraction, for
instance. In the context of GCAs, it is possible to designate recharge protection zones and aquifer
protection zones to protect the aquifer from water pollution, for instance from the discharge of
wastewater. But since the entry into force of the 2002 Water Act, no GCAs have been designated.
Furthermore, many groundwater abstractors do not have permits, and many of those that do have permits
do not pay water charges for abstracted groundwater. This is exacerbated by the absence of a framework
for systematically implementing and enforcing the requirement for payment of user charges. Given the
dependence of the implementing agency, WRMA, on water use charges for the execution of its mandate,
this has denied it much-needed financial resources.
Overall, groundwater management is weak and ineffective, and is characterized by a lack of strategic
focus and limited resources. The study has concluded that this is due to a perception that groundwater is
an inexhaustible resource. This perception is caused by poor knowledge of groundwater resources,
general weakness in institutional capacity, limited technical capacity that is not appropriately deployed,
poor funding, and weak political commitment at the senior policy-making level. The result is that
overabstraction and poor management has continued. The study also has concluded that addressing the
problems affecting groundwater does not require additional or new legislation, except in respect of an
overarching policy for climate change.
What is required to redress the situation is action on key recommendations and policy objectives that
have been made in policy statements over the years. Key among these is the development of a
functioning mechanism for coordination of actions relating to groundwater across diverse sectors that
affect the sustainable management of groundwater resources, including land, environment, and water
resources. It will also be necessary to give priority to groundwater management in the activities and
programs of groundwater management institutions. This requires providing the resources—human,
technical, and administrative—necessary to discharge their mandates effectively.
Groundwater management to mitigate climate change impacts
It is inadequately appreciated in Kenya that better management and use of groundwater resources is a
―no-risk‖ measure for climate change adaptation—a measure that will contribute to socioeconomic growth
even if no climate change occurs. However, there is also a limited understanding of how groundwater
management offers potentially substantial gains in adapting to climate change and in meeting the
Millennium Development Goals.
Kenya has yet to fully exploit the advantages of conjunctive use in the management of water resources,
although this is beginning to change in the face of the repeated and destructive flood-drought cycles
experienced in recent decades. Conjunctive use schemes seek to optimize both surface and
groundwater – and other forms of water such as recycled wastewater – to ―spread the load,‖ and in so
doing develop resilience to extreme weather events. In addition to conjunctive use, both supply-side and
demand-management measures will be needed. Pragmatic groundwater management and an improved
understanding of our groundwater resources is an essential part of the former, while more efficient water
use is a key facet of the latter.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Managed aquifer recharge is another example of a technical approach that already has improved drought
resilience to communities in semi-arid Eastern Kenya. Managed aquifer recharge in the broadest sense
includes both the enhancement of natural recharge and the planned use of aquifer storage. Although the
level of understanding of Kenya’s aquifers is generally poor, the experience of sand dams and their
enhancement of bank storage in eastern Kenya is a launch point for rolling out this simple and practical
approach to other parts of the nation. Pre-feasibility studies have described a range of possible schemes
and some of these should be considered for pilot projects.
Study findings
This study has found that the present approach to groundwater management in Kenya not only does not
serve the public interest in the short term, but is also likely to jeopardize the value of groundwater in the
medium to long term. There is a very limited understanding of the land surface-groundwater linkage
among professionals in the relevant sectors, and as a consequence there is no strategic awareness of
the need to protect groundwater resources. Public understanding of groundwater and its importance is
dismally poor, and attempts at education have been minimal at best. Technical capacity needs to be
enhanced, and support and funding for the WRMA needs to be increased. Water sector reform processes
have failed to solve the data management bottleneck, with the Ministry for Water retaining data that the
WRMA needs for day-to-day groundwater management processes, to the detriment of water
management in general and groundwater management in particular.
That some of Kenya’s aquifers are in urgent need of ―management‖ and ―protection‖ is irrefutable; the
legal and institutional instruments to create conditions for pragmatic aquifer management already exist,
although some cross-sectoral streamlining would improve management processes. The only real
impediments to developing a national groundwater management strategy and implementing local aquifer
management plans are limited political understanding and support for such measures, and a lack of
funding by the parent Ministry for the responsible agency, the WRMA, to do so.
The absence of a strategic framework is an impediment to rational groundwater management. To this
end, a strategic planning framework has been drafted for consideration by the ministry. A framework for
developing a groundwater management plan for the South Coast has also been drafted.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Groundwater: a common resource pool
The world faces enormous challenges in meeting human and ecological needs for water. Population
growth, urbanization, and rising standards of living across the globe put water resources under increasing
stress, while at the same time catchment degradation and poor waste management reduce freshwater
availability. Further uncertainty is imposed by climate change.
3
Global annual precipitation is 577,000 km /yr; 79 percent of this rain falls on the oceans, 2 percent on
lakes, and 19 percent on land. The vast proportion of what falls on land is lost to evaporation or runoff,
3
leaving only 2,200 km (2 percent) to percolate into the groundwater store (Shiklomanov 2002). However,
when aquifer storage is taken into account, groundwater still makes up 97 percent of global freshwater
(excluding ice), and is the most intensively exploited natural material in the world. Increasing demand for
water, allied to technical developments in drilling and pumping technology, has driven groundwater
development.
The use of groundwater has spurred agricultural growth across the world. The top three groundwater-
abstracting states are India, the United States, and China, which between them account for over 50
3 3
percent of global groundwater abstraction (442 km /yr of an estimated 840 km /yr) (World Bank 2010a;
Margat 2008). The value of India’s agricultural output rose from $28.3 to $49.9 billion from 1970/73 to
1990/93; at the start of this period, groundwater contributed only 4.4 percent of this value, while by the
mid-1990s it contributed 14.5 percent (Letitre 2009). In 1951, India had an estimated 4 million
groundwater abstraction points; by 1997, the number had risen to nearly 17 million (Llamas and Martinez-
3
Santos 2004). By the end of the first decade of the present century, India accounted for 230 km /yr, over
25 percent of global groundwater use (World Bank 2010a).
The initiative to develop groundwater on this scale, particularly for agricultural purposes, was largely
taken by water users, not governments. It has been mostly unregulated, with government funding in
groundwater resources management far out of proportion to its benefits and far smaller than equivalent or
proportional funding for surface water development and management. Indeed, the growth of intensive
groundwater abstraction has, in most cases, been largely unnoticed by governments. This evolution has
been called the ―silent revolution‖ (Llamas and Martinez-Santos 2004, 2005), and has been of immense
benefit to rural populations in arid and semi-arid countries. However, the silent revolution has also had its
costs (Table 1).
The uncertainty over the future of intensive groundwater use is aggravated by the lack of knowledge
about groundwater and the common perception that, because it is a common pool resource (Ostrom
1990), it faces unique and possibly insuperable management challenges. This is fuelled by the
widespread perception that groundwater is a ―private‖ resource—land owners consider that they have an
absolute right to the water beneath their land, irrespective of what laws may say (GWMATE 2009). This
encourages the unsustainable use of groundwater, to the ultimate cost of all. However, despite the costs
listed above, groundwater has enormous potential to mitigate the looming global water crisis, given
appropriate management and a better understanding of its costs, benefits, and limitations on the part of
1
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
water users, regulators, the private sector, and the political cadre. Appropriate groundwater use will also
do much to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and underlies the cross-sectoral nature of
groundwater resources management.
Table 1. Benefits and costs of the “silent revolution�
Benefits Costs
Increased food production and income Depleted groundwater storage in many aquifers
Reduced water shortages Increased abstraction costs
Reduced risk of crop failure Salinization of groundwater, increased pollution
Increased are of land in productive use Destruction of ground-water dependent
ecosystems
Increased domestic water supply Land subsidence
Increased employment….etc Water use conflict…etc
….improved resilience against drought ….. increased uncertainity for the future
Source Llamas and Martinez-Santos 2004, 2005
Shah et al. (2007) identified six key attributes of groundwater. These were given in the context of
groundwater for irrigation, but the same attributes apply equally to other groundwater uses, especially
small-scale water supply:
ï‚· Groundwater is very nearly ubiquitous,
ï‚· Groundwater abstraction systems can be developed quickly,
ï‚· Although operating costs are typically higher, the capital costs of groundwater systems compared to
conveyance of surface water are much lower,
ï‚· Groundwater systems offer great drought-resilience, especially in large storage aquifers,
ï‚· Groundwater systems provide water on demand,
ï‚· Groundwater systems face smaller transmission and storage losses than surface water systems.
Groundwater offers numerous socioeconomic advantages to both developed and developing nations.
However, its development and use require management, and that is the core theme of this study.
2
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
1.2. Case study background
The World Bank Group commissioned this case study as part of its economic and sector analysis (ESW)
4
project entitled ―Too Big to Fail: The Paradox of Groundwater Governance. ‖ The objectives of this study
are:
ï‚· Describe the groundwater resource settings for select aquifers, including their characteristics,
groundwater use patterns and drivers, user profiles, and socioeconomic factors influencing
groundwater use.
ï‚· Describe the governance arrangements for managing groundwater in Kenya.
ï‚· Identify the relevance of these arrangements in defining strategies for coping with impacts of climate
change.
The Kenya case study analysis has been carried out at both strategic, policy and planning, and local
institutional levels. Four aquifer systems were examined in detail in order to illustrate issues relating to
the objectives.
1.3. Groundwater Governance
In this study, groundwater governance refers to those political, social, economic, and administrative
systems that are explicitly aimed at developing and managing water resources and water services at
different levels of society that rely solely or largely on groundwater resources. This definition includes all
mechanisms relating to financing, knowledge and technical capacity, and the rights and responsibilities of
sector players (including water users).
―Bad governance‖ includes any of the following activities, attitudes, or approaches to groundwater
resources management:
ï‚· Inadequate policies, strategies, and legislation relating to groundwater resources and their
management, or the ineffective application of those policies, strategies, or laws.
ï‚· Inadequate technical and financial capacity to support groundwater resources management.
ï‚· Lack of professional integrity, transparency, and accountability.
ï‚· Failure to enforce laws relating to allocation and groundwater use.
 Ignoring stakeholders’ rights to equitable access to groundwater resources.
ï‚· Poorly managed groundwater projects.
 Inherent corruption in groundwater management processes, including the ―quiet corruption‖— low-
level, small-scale corruption at the service provider/ water user interface (World Bank 2010b).
4
During the Project Concept Note review, the proposed title for this this Economic and Sector Work was ―Improving
groundwater governance: The Political economy of groundwater policy and institutional reforms‖.
3
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
1.4. Linkages in groundwater development
Groundwater is widely considered to be a seriously undervalued resource (World Bank 2009). The
complexity of groundwater as a resource and the linkages between groundwater resources, threats to it,
governance, and management arrangements are encapsulated in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. Linkages in groundwater development
Opportunities for groundwater development
Governance
provisions
Institutional, economic,
legal, technical framework
for policy development
Uses Threats
•Over-exploitation
•Industry Local measures
Monitoring, assessment, •Land degradation
•Clean water for health practical management •Land subsidence
•Agriculture and protection
•Land encroachment
•Urban & rural water supplies
Non •Biodiversity loss
•Geothermal resources a ble -ren
ew ewa •Saline intrusion
•Ecosystem support R en ble
•Pollution
Groundwater
resources •Climate change
Local
International
Regional
Origin
Characteristics
•Rainfall recharge
•Arid & humid climates
•Influent surface water
•Geology
•Urban runoff
•Aquifer properties
•Wastewater recharge
•Flow characteristics
Source: World Bank 2009.
4
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
2. KENYA: WATER RESOURCES AVAILABILITY AND USE
2.1. Water resources
Water resources in Kenya are irregularly distributed in both space and time, a situation exacerbated by
considerable climate variability (Table 2). Cycles of drought and flood (El Niño/La Niña) wreak havoc with
physical infrastructure, human life, and development (World Bank 2004); 80 percent of the country is arid
or semi-arid, yet hosts 34 percent of the human population and 50 percent of its livestock (UN-Water
2005). These natural conditions are vulnerable to climate change.
Table 2. Water resources availability by catchment
Area Runoff Surface Ground
(Km²) Rain (mm/yr) water water
Basin
(mm/yr) (106 (106
m3/yr) m3/yr)
Victoria 46,229 1,245 149 11,672 116
Rift Valley 130,452 535 6 2,784 126
Athi 66,837 585 19 1,152 87
Tana 126,026 535 36 3,744 147
Ewaso Ngiro 210,226 255 4 339 142
Total 19,691 618
Source: IWRMS&WE Plan MoWI 2009c
Table 3. Water resources availability values from different sources (109 m3/yr)
Surface water Groundwater
Source
Annual Annual “Safe
“Safe yeild�
resource resource yeild�
(BCM/yr)
(BCM) (BCM) (BCM/yr)
MoWD / JICA (1992) 24.6 0.65
UNESCO (2004) 17.2 3.0
MoWI (2007) 19.6 7.4 2.1 1.04
MoWI (2009c) as Table 2 above 19.7 7.4 0.62 1.04
(Table 2)
Note: ―Safe yield‖ is not defined; the whole concept of ―safe‖ or ―sustainable‖ groundwater yield is contentious at best
Sources: Bredehoeft 1997: Alley et al. 1999: Kendy 2003: Morris et al. 2003: Konikow and Kendy 2004: Llamas 2004
5
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
The most useful definition of ―safe‖ or ―sustainable yield‖ is from Evans (2002): the groundwater extraction
regime, measured over a specified planning time frame that allows acceptable levels of impact and
protects the higher value uses that have a dependency on the water.
In 2009 it was estimated that of the 1.04 BCM/yr considered ―safe‖ groundwater yield, only 0.18 BCM/yr
3
(17.3 percent) was used (0.18 BCM is 0.18 km ). Catchment degradation and inadequate investment in
water development have led to reductions in per capita volume of water in storage, and this trend must be
reversed if Kenya is to achieve Vision 2030 (NESC 2007). Water insecurity/vulnerability is one of the
biggest impediments to poverty eradication and development, and will only be exacerbated by climate
change.
2.2. Water in Kenya’s economy
While Kenya is water insecure and vulnerable, water is at the same time critical to the economy. Kenya is
a largely agricultural economy, contributing 27 percent of GDP, employing an estimated 80 percent of the
workforce, and providing 57 percent of exports (MoA 2009; MoWI 2009b). According to the Minister for
Water, in August 2010 the area under irrigation was 120,000 ha, out of a potential area of 539,000 ha
(Hansard 2010b).
The City of Nairobi meets its demand from both surface water (Ruiru, Sasumua, and Ndaka’ini dams) and
groundwater (Kikuyu Springs and thousands of boreholes). Nairobi generates approximately 50 percent
of Kenya’s GDP (KIPPRA 2008). The city has at times been held hostage to restricted water supply.
Because of this, many domestic, commercial, and industrial water users rely on their own boreholes as a
coping strategy in the face of inadequate municipal supply. Abstraction across the metropolitan area is
estimated to be 160 MLD, or 58 MCM/yr (WRMA 2010a).
Similarly, the investment legacy has meant that water supplies to the major population centers of the
coast have often been under stress. All the significant water sources that provide water to the port,
industry, tourism, commerce, and residential population on the coast are groundwater (Lamu sand dune
aquifer, Baricho aquifer, Mzima Springs, Marere Springs and Tiwi aquifer), which puts this vital
component of Kenya’s economy at the mercy of climate change.
2.3. Groundwater and its use
It is estimated that of the 1.04 BCM of renewable groundwater available to Kenya annually, only 0.18
BCM (about 500 MLD) is utilized. As the IWRMS & WE Plan (MoWI 2009c) states, ―Although
groundwater exploitation has considerable potential for boosting water supplies in Kenya, its use is limited
by poor water quality, overexploitation, saline intrusion along the coastal areas, and inadequate
knowledge of the occurrence of the resource.‖
6
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Other population centers across Kenya are even more reliant on groundwater than is Nairobi. Public
water supply in the coastal strip is almost entirely dependent on groundwater (as described above). Many
domestic, commercial, and industrial water users rely on groundwater to meet their needs in the South
Coast, Mombasa, and the North Coast (Kilifi and Malindi). Numerous towns in Kenya rely largely or
exclusively on groundwater for public and private water supply; examples include Naivasha, Nakuru,
Wajir, Mandera, and Lodwar.
Rural centers overwhelmingly rely on groundwater resources, even (perhaps surprisingly) in the humid
highlands. Much of North Eastern Province relies on groundwater for human and livestock needs (the
Merti aquifer; Daua Parma alluvium; and aquifers in the Jurassic limestones of Mandera District).
Boreholes equipped with hand pumps meet water needs in villages across the nation. Village borehole
water supplies are the norm in Western and, to a lesser extent, Nyanza provinces, and past rural water
supply projects in Turkana, Samburu, and the Ukambani districts have led to considerable reliance on
groundwater in those areas.
Water sources for smallholder (86,500 ha) and public irrigation schemes (18,900 ha) are typically sourced
from surface waters, but a significant proportion of water used by private schemes (78,500 ha) comes
from boreholes, particularly around Lake Naivasha and in the northwest Mt. Kenya area. MoWI (2009c)
states that only 5 percent of water used in irrigation is groundwater in localized areas in north-eastern
Kenya. This may be an underestimate, given the reliance on groundwater by private sector irrigators in
the Central, Rift Valley, and Eastern provinces. The irrigation master plan acknowledges that future
growth will include private sector-driven groundwater-based irrigation because of the high capital cost of
surface water storage. It calculates that 0.2 BCM/yr of groundwater could be allocated to irrigation.
Groundwater is extensively used by industry, especially in Nairobi, Nakuru, and Thika. Volumes used are
not known, but an estimate made in 2009 suggested that 27 MLD (9.8 MCM/yr) is pumped daily from
boreholes in the Nairobi-Athi River industrial area alone (WRMA 2010a).
Ecological uses of groundwater are numerous, but poorly understood in Kenya. The draft National
Wetlands Policy (GoK 2008) is silent on groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), but explicitly
acknowledges the importance of wetlands in both the recharge and discharge of groundwater. GDEs are
most easily classified according to their geomorphological setting (GWMATE 2006). Examples in Kenya
using this classification are: a) natural outflow from deep groundwater flow systems as discrete springs
(e.g. Mzima, Njoro Kubwa); b) wetlands through discharge from shallow aquifers in depressions (e.g. Lari
Swamp, Limuru); c) baseflow from extensive aquifers provide dry-weather flow in the upper reaches of
river systems; d) brackish coastal lagoons fed by natural discharge; e) terrestrial ecosystems without
open water that host phreatophytes extracting moisture directly from the water table (e.g. the Kibwezi
―groundwater forest‖); and f) upland surface-water fed marshes forming natural recharge zones (e.g.
Ondiri Swamp, Kikuyu).
2.4. Transboundary aquifers
Kenya shares over 50 percent of its water resources with other states, which greatly complicates water
management. This is more significant for surface waters than groundwater, but even so, there are five
7
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
significant transboundary aquifer groups: the Rift Valley aquifers, the Elgon aquifer, the Merti aquifer, the
Kilimanjaro aquifer, and the Coastal sedimentary aquifers.
Although the National Water Policy recognizes that Kenya has shared water resources, no specific
proposals for the management of shared groundwater resources are included in the policy objectives. In
2009, the Ministry formulated a draft policy paper on shared water resources (MoWI 2009d) that did not
give particular prominence to shared groundwater resources.
Currently, there are efforts to develop cooperative frameworks for the Mara River Basin between Kenya
and Tanzania (including the establishment of a transboundary water resources users association) and for
the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi River Basin between Kenya and Uganda. In both these cases, the catchment
area has been defined on the basis of surface water catchment areas, and not on the basis of
groundwater basins. There are no arrangements under way to develop a cooperative framework for the
management of shared groundwater resources, such as the Merti, which is shared with Somalia.
8
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
3. THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
3.1. Policies and legislation
3.1.1 National Policy on Water Resources Management and Development
Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1999, National Policy on Water Resource Management, and Development (GoK
1999a), is the principal policy framework for Kenya’s water sector reform process. The National Water
Policy sets out four policy objectives: 1) to preserve, conserve and protect available water resources and
allocate it in a sustainable, rational, and economic way; 2) to supply good quality water in sufficient
quantities to meet the various water needs, including poverty alleviation, while ensuring safe wastewater
disposal and environmental protection; 3) to establish an efficient and effective institutional framework to
achieve a systematic development and management of the water sector; and 4) to develop a sound and
sustainable system for effective water resources management, water supply, and sanitation development.
The policy’s implementation measures have implications for groundwater management as it relates to: a)
identifying the availability and vulnerability of groundwater resources; b) developing the institutional,
capacity, and financing arrangements for groundwater management; c) supporting integrated water
resources management; and d) considerations for groundwater quality management. Table 4 gives a
summary of the main groundwater management issues addressed in the policy paper and observations
concerning their implementation or enforcement.
9
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 4. Key issues from the National Policy on Water Resources Management
Policy issues Observation
Groundwater resources are vulnerable to human and No groundwater conservation area (GCA) has been
land use activities, and intensifying human activities developed, apart from that around Nairobi that predates
are a threat to the country’s water resources. The this policy statement. There has been an effort to develop
policy identifies the need for identification and a groundwater conservation zone around Lake Naivasha,
establishment of groundwater conservation zones. which has yet to be gazetted
A range of problems are identified on the institutional This remains the position to date, notwithstanding the
framework: over centralized decision-making enactment of the 2002 Water Act. What this highlights is
processes, inappropriate monitoring networks and that the problem is not an absence of policy, but rather of
database, discontinuous assessments, the will to implement the solutions.
uncoordinated source development, non-operative
water rights, and the absence of special courts to
arbitrate on water use conflicts.
Information flow is characterized by data gaps due to No such database has been established as yet for
weak monitoring systems and an inadequate user groundwater data. The WRMA is embarking on a survey of
database. This has to be addressed at all levels. groundwater abstraction in Nairobi.
Water revenue has been inadequate due to limited Although the act and rules introduce water use charges on
revenue base, ineffective revenue collection raw water abstraction, the collection of this charge from
mechanisms, and low water tariffs. groundwater had been inadequate to date.
On groundwater management capacity, the There are a large number of private drilling contractors who
government will encourage private sector-led drilling drill boreholes, often haphazardly, and their regulation has
initiatives through competitive tendering procedures. become a major issue.
On IWRM, the policy proposes that a National No such committee has been set up. The different sectors
Standing Committee to deal with cross-sectoral issues (land, water and forests) still develop their own policies,
will be established with representatives from all main which lack the necessary linkages.
water and related sector actors
3.1.2 Water Act 2002
The Water Act of 2002 further underwrites the water sector reform and creates the mechanisms for
planning, including the establishment of the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA 2005). It
regulates the ownership and control of water and makes provision for the conservation of surface and
groundwater and the supply of services in relation to water and sewerage. Box 1 provides a number of
the groundwater-related priorities in the Water Act.
10
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Box 1. Groundwater-related topics in the Water Act
ï‚· Every water resource is vested in the State, but subject to any rights of user granted by or
under this Act or any other written law (sect. 3).
ï‚· The Minister shall have control over every water resource in accordance with provisions of
this Act (sect. 4) and shall be assisted by a Director of Water (sect. 6).
ï‚· The WRMA is established as a body corporate to manage water resources in Kenya;
develop principles, guidelines, and procedures for its allocation; monitor the national
water strategy adopted under section 11; and carry out other functions outlined in section
8. The Authority shall establish regional offices (sect. 10).
ï‚· The Minister shall prescribe a system for the classification of waters (sect. 12) and
determine the water reserve for each classified water resource.
ï‚· The Authority may designate catchment areas and shall formulate a strategy for each
area. Each area shall have an advisory committee. Protected catchment areas may be
declared by the Authority.
ï‚· The national water services strategy adopted under section 49 shall provide for national
monitoring and information systems on water services (sect. 50). The Minister may
constitute Water Services Boards under section 51. These Boards shall provide water
services or delegate functions to water service providers.
ï‚· Other provisions of Part IV concern rights and duties of holders of licenses to provide water
and some other matters relating to water supply.
Source: Kenya, Water Act 2002
3.1.3 National Water Resources Management Strategy
The act provides that the Minister shall formulate a national water resources management strategy
(NWRMS) in accordance with which Kenya’s water resources shall be managed, protected, used,
developed, conserved, and controlled. The strategy shall further provide for: a) determining the reserve;
b) classifying water resources; and c) identifying areas to be designated protected areas and groundwater
conservation areas.
The NWRS is under the WRMA and includes the following activities with respect groundwater:
 Define and describe groundwater bodies in Kenya ()
 Define and quantify the Reserve for each groundwater body ()
 Identify groundwater bodies which are at risk of over abstraction or water quality deterioration ()
 Produce a hydro geological map of Kenya ()
 Produce a groundwater vulnerability map of Kenya, in detail as and where required ()
 Identify groundwater bodies that have been subject to significant pollution ()
 Develop a classification scheme for Kenya’s groundwater resources ()
 Develop a monitoring network for groundwater quantity and quality ( and )
 Develop an overview of the status of groundwater quantity and quality in Kenya ().
11
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Some of these activities have already been achieved, while others have not (indicated by or  above).
The NWRMS was published in January 2007, and the groundwater allocation thresholds document with
both aquifer classifications and aquifer status in October 2007.
3.1.4 Proposal for a Policy for the Protection of Groundwater (PPPG)
In 2006, the WRMA formulated a policy paper specifically on groundwater governance (WRMA 2006).
The paper discusses a framework for the sustainable development of Kenya’s groundwater resources
providing a common framework to: a) conserve groundwater resources by balancing sustainable use and
national development; and b) protect groundwater quality by minimizing the risks posed by pollution (S.
1.4).
The paper proposes an approach that spells out statutory responsibilities for protecting and conserving
groundwater resources. This includes specific measures to: a) ensure that all risks to groundwater
resources are handled within a common framework; b) provide a common national basis for decisions
affecting groundwater resources; and c) encourage a common approach to groundwater protection by all
relevant statutory bodies.
The study addresses many of the shortcomings of the National Water Policy from the perspective of
groundwater management. However, it remains a proposal that has not been officially adopted by the
government as representing the country’s policy on groundwater management.
3.2. Related policies and plans
3.2.1 National Land Policy
Kenya does not have a national land use policy at present, but a National Land Policy was adopted by the
government in 2009 (GoK 2009). Section 3.4 deals with land management issues, and states that
problems of rapid urbanization, inadequate land use planning, unsustainable production, poor
environmental management, and inappropriate ecosystem protection and management are commonplace
and require policy responses. These same problems have been identified in the national water policy as
bedevilling the sustainable management of water resources, including groundwater resources.
The policy calls for putting in place the necessary mechanisms for effective coordination across sectors.
However, no concrete steps have been taken to put in place such coordinating mechanisms, and
therefore the policy statements remain aspirations. The key issue is that notwithstanding the recognition
of the need for coordinated management, land-based resources are still managed on a sector-specific
basis. This undermines the sustainable management of groundwater resources.
3.2.2 Policy on Environment and Development
Another important policy paper in the context of groundwater management is the environmental
management policy (GoK 1999c). Whereas specific mention is made of the protection of water
12
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
catchments and wetlands as objectives, no mention is made of groundwater conservation. Groundwater
resources are not addressed even in the context of the discussion on rangeland resources, whose
effective utilization is often dependent on groundwater resources. Neither is groundwater mentioned in
the discussion on land degradation, drought, and desertification.
3.2.3 Policy on Climate Change
At present there are no overarching policies or laws explicitly for the management of climate change. The
National Climate Change Response Strategy (GoK 2010) proposes that the EMCA is reviewed in light of
the need for response to climate change. The Kenya climate change response strategy for water
resources will be discussed in Chapter 4
3.2.4 Irrigation Master Plan
The Irrigation Master Plan identifies activities that, if implemented, would increase the area under
irrigation and drainage from 140,000 ha to 300,000 ha. It proposes enhancement of groundwater
recharge and increase of groundwater use for irrigation to 0.2 BCM/yr. Significantly, the plan makes no
reference to the potential for depletion of groundwater resources resulting from more intense abstraction
to meet the demands of increased irrigation.
3.3. Groundwater management instruments
The Water Act gives the WRMA specific mandates to develop instruments for groundwater management.
These are also related to the policies and plans of other sectors (see above) and the related legislation
such as the Physical Planning Act (1996) and the Environmental Management and Coordination Act
(1999).
3.3.1 Catchment areas and catchment management strategies
The WRMA has a mandate to formulate a catchment management strategy for the management, use,
development, conservation, protection and control of water resources within each catchment area.
Among other issues, the strategy shall: a) contain water allocation plans that set out principles for
allocating water; and b) provide mechanisms and facilities for enabling the public and communities to
participate in managing the water resources within each catchment area. So legislation provides for the
formulation of water resources management plans, which are referred to as catchment management
strategies (CMS) and sub catchment management plans (SCMPs). There is no different treatment
accorded to groundwater, though at the same time there is no specific mention of groundwater
management planning. There is therefore a risk that groundwater resources would not be optimally
managed in accordance with the CMS or SCMP, since the key focus is surface water resources.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
3.3.2 Groundwater development and allocation
For the regulation of groundwater development, the Water Act states that the WRMA will determine in the
allocation plan for a given aquifer the spacing of boreholes or wells to be equipped with motorized plant.
The WRMA would be guided by: a) existing borehole or well spacing; b) individual aquifer characteristics,
including water quality; c) existing aquifer use; and d) existing bodies of surface water.
3.3.3 Groundwater conservation areas (GCAs)
The WRMA is mandated to enforce special measures for the conservation of groundwater where
necessary in the public interest. The WRMA can, following public consultations, declare an area as a
GCA; impose such requirements and regulate or prohibit such conduct or activities that it may deem
necessary for the protection of the GCA area and its groundwater. The only gazetted GCA in the country
is Nairobi.
GCAs are linked to land use planning and therefore related to other legislation like the Physical Planning
Act and Environmental Management and Coordination Act. The analysis shows that both acts make no
specific mention of the conservation of groundwater resources as a relevant consideration in formulating
physical developments plans and environmental planning.
This is a particularly acute problem with respect to the NAS, which is subject to intense exploitation. To
date, the only physical plan that has been prepared is for the Karen Langata area of Nairobi. Though
gazetted, it is not officially recognized by the City Council of Nairobi and therefore has not been enforced
(MoLH 2006).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Box 2. Summary of Policies and Legislation
As this review of policies and laws shows, the Water Act and the Water Resources Management
provides guidelines together with other sectoral laws, such as the Physical Planning Act, include
specific groundwater provisions. Notwithstanding that the common law has dealt with
groundwater as a private resource. On the contrary, the Water Act has dealt with it as a public
resource vested in the state and subject to control by the minister, as is the case with surface
water. Legislation specifically regulates the construction of wells and boreholes. There are rules
regulating wastewater discharges insofar as it affects groundwater and groundwater pollution.
These provisions form a sound basis for managing groundwater resources. However, the key
weakness is that GCAs have not been designated anywhere in the country (except for NAS,
which dates from before the enactment of the Water Act). There are, however, significant
weaknesses in the implementation and enforcement of the legal provisions and guidelines. In a
number of cases, the guidelines duplicate each other, particularly those made under the Water
Act and the ones made under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act. The
implementing agencies lack the institutional capacity to discharge their statutory mandate
adequately. Furthermore, the priority given to groundwater, in contrast to that given to surface
water, has been low. At the same time, there are limited inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms.
This limits opportunities for cooperation, coordination and information sharing between the
various implementing agencies.
In summary, Kenya’s policy framework recognizes groundwater as an important land-based
resource. However, the treatment of groundwater in policy statements is cursory. Groundwater is
dealt with under the general umbrella of water resources, and its significance is muted. No
specific policy statements are made that would facilitate the sustainable use and management
of groundwater resources. These shortcomings are reflected in the priority given to groundwater in
the actual management of land-based resources, where surface water has a far higher profile.
3.4. Regulation and controls
There are still few regulations in place that effectively control groundwater management, allocation, and
protection. One of the obstacles to this is the effect of the common law on groundwater, which states that
a private landowner effectively owns the resource and can abstract it and put it to his own use without
having to take account of the wider social requirements. This underscores the perception that
groundwater is a private resource. This common law position has been qualified by the statutory
provisions dealing with groundwater management. This is illustrated below with a few typical examples of
regulatory controls for groundwater.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
3.4.1 Water rights and water permits
Under the Water Act, water rights may only be acquired through a permit. Section 27 makes it an offense
to construct or use works to abstract water without a permit. Section 26 makes three exceptions to the
permit requirement, one of which relates specifically to the use of groundwater.
Statutory law deals with groundwater in a way that is markedly different from surface water,
notwithstanding that the ownership of both groundwater and surface water is vested in the state. Unlike
the guidelines and regulation for surface water use, the use of groundwater does not ordinarily require a
permit. A permit is required where: a) the works are situated within 100 meters of surface water, and b)
the works are situated within a GCA.
3.4.2 Regulating the construction of wells and boreholes
The construction of wells and boreholes are regulated under the Water Act, which contains rules
governing the abstraction of groundwater that apply even in areas that fall outside GCAs. The regulatory
guidelines stipulate a number of conditions for the person/drilling contractor constructing a well/borehole.
Through these requirements, the WRMA would be in a position to regulate the abstraction and use of
groundwater. The weakness of this system, however, is that it is dependent on landowners coming
forward with the information regarding their intention to abstract groundwater. Since boreholes are
located within the boundaries of private property, there is a good chance that the WRMA and neighboring
landholders may not know that a borehole has been drilled. The WRMA’s ability to enforce these rules
through its own inspection, monitoring efforts and collaboration with neighboring landholders in providing
information therefore becomes critical for enforcing regulation.
3.4.3 Wastewater licensing
The Water Resources Management Rules (WRMR) include a set of provisions for waste water to (a)
control the pollution of water; (b) impose a requirement for an effluent discharge permit; and (c) stipulate
that effluent may only be discharged into a water resource if it meets prescribed standards. However, for
these rules to provide the protection required it would be necessary to identify strategic and vulnerable
aquifers and groundwater abstraction points and focus the implementation and enforcement on such
aquifers for maximum effect. At present, these rules have not been applied to any of the CSAs.
Artificial recharge can also potentially threaten the quality of groundwater. Regulation 78 of the WRMR
(GoK 2007) deals with artificial groundwater recharge and states that no person shall undertake to
construct works for the purpose of conducting artificial groundwater recharge of an aquifer in a GCA
unless the person has been authorized by the WRMA to do so. This enables the WRMA to regulate the
practice of artificial recharge.
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3.4.4 Controls on development in recharge/discharge zones and pollution
The protection of recharge and discharge zones of groundwater from pollution could also be achieved
under the powers given to water service boards (WSBs) to make regulations that protect any water
against degradation ( whether on the surface or underground). The regulations would define the area
within which the licensee deems it necessary to exercise control. Within that area, it would prohibit or
regulate any act prescribed by such regulations and provides penalties.
Although these regulations are appropriate for protecting groundwater from pollution, no WSPs have
gazetted any regulations to protect groundwater from which they abstract water for public water supply.
This is the case even in vulnerable aquifers such as Tiwi and Baricho, which are critical public water
supply sources for the coastal strip (see chapter 4).
3.4.5 Strengths and weaknesses of current regulation
Kenya has a comprehensive legal framework for the management of groundwater resources. The laws
recognize groundwater as a water resource that is distinct from surface water resources. There are
provisions for requiring authorizations and permits to be obtained for the abstraction and use of
groundwater. The law recognizes the value of groundwater and imposes a charge for its abstraction and
use. There are also provisions for groundwater conservation and protection.
However, enforcement has been weak, and many of the provisions have not been implemented. By way
of example, GCAs have not been declared since the Water Act 2002 came into effect and many
groundwater abstractors do not have permits and do not pay water charges for abstracted groundwater.
Weak implementation is due to a perception that groundwater is an inexhaustible resource. This
perception is rooted in a poor knowledge of groundwater resources, weak institutional capacity, poor
funding, and weak political commitment at the senior policy-making level. As a result, over abstraction
and poor management have continued. The statement made in the National Water Policy thus remains
substantially true in regard to groundwater management today. It states that groundwater is
characterized by ―over-centralized decision-making processes, an inappropriate and run-down monitoring
network, inadequate database, discontinuous assessment programs, uncoordinated source development,
non-operative water rights, the absence of special courts to arbitrate on water use conflicts, and a
generally weak institutional set up.‖
3.5. Institutional and organizational arrangements
Key agencies in the water sector
The reform of the water sector under the Water Act (2002) has resulted in the establishment of dedicated
agencies (13 new, 2 existing) with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The Ministry of Water and
Irrigation (MoWI) is responsible for the development of legislation, policy formulation, sector coordination
and guidance, and monitoring and evaluation. The agencies and their key roles are summarized in Table
5.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 5. Roles and responsibilities of water sector institutions
Institution Roles and responsibilities
Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) ï‚· Water resources planning, management and protection
ï‚· Planning, allocation, apportionment, assessment, and
monitoring of water resources
ï‚· Issuance of water permits
ï‚· Water rights and enforcement of permit conditions
ï‚· Regulation of conservation and abstraction structures
ï‚· Catchment and water quality management
ï‚· Regulation and control of water use
ï‚· Coordination of IWRM Plan
Catchment Area Advisory Committees (CAACs) ï‚· Advising WRMA on water resources issues at catchment
level
Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs) ï‚· Involvement in decision making to identify and register
water user
ï‚· Collaboration in water allocation and catchments
management
ï‚· Assisting in water monitoring and information gathering
ï‚· Conflict resolution & cooperative management of water
resources
Water Services Regulatory Board (WSRB) ï‚· Regulation and monitoring of Water Services Boards
ï‚· Issuance of licenses to Water Services Boards
ï‚· Setting standards for provision of water services
ï‚· Developing guidelines for water tariffs
Water Services Boards (WSBs) (8 in total) ï‚· Responsible for efficient/economical provision of water
services
ï‚· Developing water facilities
ï‚· Applying regulations on water services and tariffs
ï‚· Procuring and leasing water and sewerage facilities
ï‚· Contracting Water Service Providers (WSPs).
Water Service Providers (WSPs) ï‚· Provision of water and sewerage services
Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) ï‚· Financing provision of water and sanitation to
disadvantaged groups
The Water Appeals Board (WAB) ï‚· Arbitration of water-related disputes and conflicts.
National Water Conservation and Pipeline ï‚· Construction of dams and drilling of boreholes
Corporation (NWCPC)
Kenya Water Institute (KEWI) ï‚· Training and research
National Irrigation Board (NIB) ï‚· Development of Irrigation Infrastructure
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
3.5.1 The extent to which groundwater is integrated with surface water
In line with national policy to endorse the conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water, the
institutions (Table 5) manage surface water and groundwater alike, with no particular distinction made for
groundwater. At both WRMA and the MoWI, groundwater staff are designated, with roles built into the
organizational structure of these institutions. However, these two functions are not integrated, but
operate in parallel. So when a surface water abstraction application is made, the implications for
groundwater recharge are not factored into the decision making.
The effect of not having a dedicated groundwater management institution has been to further marginalize
groundwater management, since greater priority is given to surface water—in terms of both human and
financial resources—than to groundwater.
3.5.2 Decentralized groundwater management
Under the Water Act, the WRMA has defined six catchment areas: Lake Victoria South, Lake Victoria
North, and the catchment areas of the Athi, Rift Valley, Tana and Ewaso Ngiro North (Figure 2). The
WRMA is required to formulate a catchment management strategy for each catchment; appoint a CAAC
for each catchment area; and devise mechanisms for the establishment and operation of WRUAs that
would facilitate conflict resolution and cooperative management of water resources in each catchment
area.
These basins were set up during 2005 and have been operational for a period of six years. Each
catchment area is headed by a regional manager. For the purposes of groundwater management, WRMA
has deployed to each regional office one hydrogeologist, with the exception of Athi region (within which
the Nairobi aquifer is located), where there are three.
In defining the catchment and sub catchment areas, there has been no consideration of how the
groundwater resources might affect the definition of catchment or sub catchment areas. Consequently,
certain groundwater resources underlie two catchments and many more sub catchments. These overlaps
have not been t taken into account the institutional arrangements for management of surface and
groundwater. The institutional models tend to be based on surface water systems alone.
The WRMA is in place at the regional (RO) and sub regional (SRO) office levels, but is not as effective as
it might be due to institutional, human resource, technical capacity, and finance limitations. Its
groundwater manpower in particular is severely limited; in only one case does an aquifer have any
groundwater staff dedicated to it.
3.5.3 Catchment Area Advisory Committees (CAACs)
CAACs were established to advise WRMA regional managers on water resources management issues in
the catchment. The CAAC has a statutory membership of fifteen persons drawn from stakeholders—
including the government, the private sector, and civil society—with an interest in water resources
management. Non-governmental organizations also could be represented. However, in making
appointments to CAAC, no special consideration is given for appointment of stakeholders with expertise
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
and/special interest in groundwater management. This shortcoming ought to be addressed, particularly in
those catchment areas where water development is heavily reliant on aquifers.
Figure 2. Locations of catchment areas
A common complaint emanating from CAACs is that, being advisory in nature, they have limited influence
on decision making. WRMA ROs are not obliged to heed advice tendered by their CAACs, and are not
accountable to the CAACs for their actions. This could be remedied by paying greater attention to
enhancing coordination mechanisms, including developing linkages with the existing District and
Provincial Environment Committees, as well as the District and Provincial Physical Planning Liaison
Committees.
In summary, the capacities of the CAACs have not been fully used and, because they have no powers,
they are not always able to influence decision making in WRMA. Consequently, their effectiveness in
respect to CSA or other aquifer management has been limited.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
3.5.4 Stakeholderparticipation/WRUA’s
The 2002 Water Act provides for the establishment and operation of water resources user associations
(WRUAs). It envisages that where the water resource in question is a groundwater resource, the WRUA
would be formed in regard to the management of that particular groundwater resource. No distinction is
drawn between groundwater and surface water resources.
WRUAs are not traditional organizations. They are associations set up specifically to bring together users
of a given water resource. They could certainly be based on traditional arrangements, but as water
resources are allocated by means of abstraction permits rather than on traditional rights of access,
WRUAs tend not to focus on traditional use rights. Table 6 shows the registration status of WRUAs by
region as of mid-2010.
A number of WRUAs have been effective in resolving water use conflicts. However, WRUAs are voluntary
associations and therefore are not uniformly spread across the country. Groundwater management
WRUAs are rare. Only two groundwater-specific WRUAs are under formation in the Tiwi and Gongoni
areas (Athi catchment), and three exist in the Tana catchment (Lamu, Hindi and Mpeketoni/Lake
Kenyatta). Overall WRMA has not made use of the full potential of WRUAs to manage water resources—
and equally, water users and other stakeholders have not grasped the opportunities offered by WRUAs.
However, this may change, as the example provided by WRUAs in the Lake Naivasha basin shows (Box
3).
Table 6. WRUA registration status by region, 2010
WRUA Establishment
Region
WRUA
WRUA
Archieved
registered by
Potential
registered by
Success
AG
Target
Social
(%)
services
Lake Victoria N 100 - 32 24 8
Lake Victoria S - 80 36 43 29 7
Rift Valley - 51 47 92 30 47
Athi 60 50 57 114 15 0
Tana 840 60 63 105 46 21
Ewaso Ngiro N - 45 38 84 18 20
Total: >1000 286 273 438 162 103
Source: WRMA
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3.5.5 Human resources
WRMA inherited the majority of its staff from MoWI, many of whom joined WRMA on secondment. The
staff composition at WRMA headquarters and in the regional and sub regional offices is set out in Table 7
below.
Box 3. WRUAs in basin management: the Lake Naivasha case
In the early part of the present decade, water users in the Lake Naivasha Basin had become
increasingly aware of the unsustainable level of abstraction from the hydrological system, a
situation that was nearly impossible to quantify due to poor and inaccurate hydrological records;
lack of accurate information on actual abstraction; weak water permit data; and poor
compliance with and weak enforcement of water laws. Commercial water users led the way in
commissioning a water allocation plan, and by 2005 were working with the WRMA to develop this
and improve the transparency and accountability of water uses in the basin. Water user interests
were to be taken on-board through the development of Water Resources Users Associations
(WRUAs).
The Lake Naivasha Water Resources Users Association (LANAWRUA) is a blanket WRUA that
includes the 12 WRUAs in the Naivasha Basin (the upper sub-basins of the Malewa, Gilgil, and
Wanjohi and others; and the Lakeside zone). Since its inception, the WRUAs have:
ï‚· Conducted abstraction surveys (both surface and groundwater) and water permit
compliance surveys (both)
ï‚· Monitored and checked flowmeter status (both)
ï‚· Sensitized water users on water use regulations and their obligations (both)
ï‚· Provided direct feedback to the WRMA on applications for water permits (both)
ï‚· Provided a forum through which water conflicts can be resolved.
Partly as a result of the WRUAs, new rules have been developed that propose both catchment
and groundwater protection (The Lake Naivasha Catchment Area Protection and Groundwater
Conservation Area Rules), and under which the Lake Naivasha Catchment Area Water Allocation
Plan was gazetted in 2011.
At present, the powers of the WRUAs are limited to what is allowed under existing legislation.
Under the proposed rules, they are expected to be key in education, checking water use
compliance, and in promoting water use efficiency. They will be appointed agents of the WRMA
“for the purposes, inter alia, of assisting the Authority in gathering information about water
resources within its area of operation; monitoring the use of water; inspecting compliance to
these rules; and enforcing compliance with the conditions of water use permits.�
These rules have yet to be passed into law, and it remains to be seen how effectively they will
work in practice; however, this is the first time a GCA has been proposed under water legislation
since before independence, and may show the way forward for participatory groundwater
resources management in Kenya.
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Table 7. WRMA staff complement, 2010
Groundwater staff
Regions
Staff,
Staff, Casuals
Permanent Region Sub region
(No.)
(No.)
WRMA HQ 40 – 1
Lake Victoria North Catchment 56 6 1 0
Area
Lake Victoria South Catchment 45 7 1 0
Area
Rift Valley Catchment Area 73 3 1 0
Athi Catchment Area 70 10 1 2
Tana Catchment Area 82 5 1 0
Ewaso Ngiro North Catchment 55 6 1 0
Area
Total: 421 37 1+6 2
Source: MoWI 2009c.
Whereas available information suggests that the number of groundwater staff (geologists, drilling
inspectors and superintendents, groundwater inspectors, and groundwater assistants) working in the
ministry are approximately 100, only nine hydrogeologists are deployed by WRMA as groundwater
(management) officers. Each regional office has one groundwater officer, apart from Nairobi SRO (within
which the Nairobi aquifer is located), which has two groundwater officers. Given the vastness of the areas
to be covered by its staff, the capacity of WRMA to effectively manage groundwater abstractions is
limited. Additionally, there is limited groundwater management capacity in the private sector, which
employs a number of hydrogeologists as consultants. Occasionally, on specific assignments, these
consultants are engaged in undertaking studies and other assignments on groundwater issues on behalf
of WRMA.
3.5.6 Private sector participation
The private sector plays a key role in borehole drilling. Other private sector stakeholders include: qualified
water resource professionals such as geologists/hydrogeologists, engineers, and so on. They are
regulated under Part XIII of the Water Act’s guidelines that require these qualified water professionals and
contractors be licensed by the ministry. The ministry is required to introduce codes of practice for
compliance by the professionals and the contractors, but to date this has not been done.
The ministry therefore acts as the regulator of the professionals and contractors. A number of
commentators have expressed the view that WRMA, which issues permits and monitors the activities of
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
the professionals and contractors, should regulate the professionals. Experience has shown that the
ministry has often used its role as the regulator to diminish WRMA’s authority and ability to impose its
requirements on these contractors. Consequently, the WRMA has often been unable to carry out its
regulatory mandate. For instance, if a contractor drills a borehole without an authorization, WRMA can
only report the matter to the ministry, where the likelihood of punitive action is small. Indeed, there is no
recorded instance since the commencement of the 2002 Water Act in which the ministry has taken
disciplinary action against a drilling contractor for drilling a borehole without an authorization.
Furthermore, the proposed codes of practice to ensure compliance by water sector professionals and
drilling contractors with good practice have not been gazetted.
3.6. Monitoring
3.6.1 Water level monitoring
Until recent years, the regular monitoring of groundwater resources was not carried out or was only
carried out on a somewhat ad hoc basis. WRMA has now instituted a monitoring program that targets
most of the important Kenyan aquifers. The principal disadvantage of the monitoring network currently in
place is that the majority of boreholes used are production boreholes and require water levels to return to
static levels prior to the measurements.
Eleven dedicated monitoring boreholes are in the process of being constructed in a variety of aquifers
across Kenya (Table 8). These monitoring boreholes will be equipped with digital loggers, which will
provide more reliable data than hitherto—and allow flexibility in determining how frequently data are
collected.
WRMA attempts to manually collect water-level and quality trends quarterly, which is a reasonable
compromise for a developing nation. However, for intensively utilized aquifers such as the NAS, water-
level measurements are collected monthly; 20 monitored boreholes are spread unevenly across the NAS,
2
and equate to one well per 273 km . Water levels are collected weekly to monthly in the Dadaab Merti by
CARE Kenya (CDC 2009). These boreholes have been monitored since 1992, and constitute the longest
continuous groundwater level data set in the country. Limited water-level monitoring is about to
commence at both Tiwi and Baricho.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 8. Dedicated monitoring borehole network
Monitoring Aquifer Class Status
Region Depth
BH location
Lake Victoria N Bungoma 100 m Kavirondan MAJOR Alarm
Town (Bungoma)
Rift Valley Bahati 160 m Nakuru STRATEGIC Alert
Kabatini, Town
Nakuru
Rongai 180 m Rongai SPECIAL None
Town,
Nakuru
District
Kenya High 300 m
Athi School, Nairobi STRATEGIC Alarm
Nairobi
Mbagathi 310 m Nairobi
Ridge, STRATEGIC Alarm
Nairobi
Kenya 300 m Nairobi
Polytechnic, STRATEGIC Alarm
Nairobi
Mombasa 18 m Coral MAJOR Alarm
limestones
& sands
Tiwi 100 m Coral MAJOR Alert
limestones
& sands
Tana Kenol, 200 m Nairobi STRATEGIC Alarm
Mukuyu
Ewaso Ngiro N Dagahaley 150 m Merti SPECIAL Alert
Refugee
Camp
Merti Town 70 m Colluvial POOR Satisfactory
(alluvial)
Source: pers. comm. World Bank August 21, 2010, WRMA 2007.
3.6.2. Water quality monitoring
Water quality data are also collected for a selection of groundwater sources. For the coastal aquifers, this
is limited to pH, color, EC25, TDS, chloride, salinity, total alkalinity, total hardness, magnesium, and
calcium. Nitrate and total phosphorus should be added to the parameters analyzed (as indirect indicators
of pollution). At Baricho, monitoring should include iron and manganese, and include periodic testing for
pesticide metabolites and a selection of trace metals.
Water from the Dadaab Merti is tested annually by CARE Kenya (CDC 2009), but is restricted to the basic
suite of analyses conducted by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation’s Central Testing Laboratory (CTL).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Despite past recommendations (CDC 2009; UNICEF KCO 2004), repeat tests for selected heavy metals
have not been carried out. Groundwater in the Nairobi aquifers are tested at intervals and samples from
boreholes used by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NCWSC) are tested more
frequently for parameters of interest to health (including fluoride).
3.6.3 Data and information sharing
In Kenya, water resources and allocation data of all kinds are theoretically available for purchase, at costs
described in the Rules (GoK 2007). However, in reality these data are often difficult or impossible to
obtain; some are held by the MoWI, some by the WRMA, and some by the WSBs/WSPs. There is no
centralized repository of data, nor is there anywhere a detailed listing of which agency has what data (and
at what cost). This means that water allocation decisions may be based on incomplete data or no data.
It matters little which agency or agencies are responsible for archiving, maintaining, and selling
groundwater data. It matters rather more how much such data costs, but provided stakeholders are
made to understand that data collection and archiving has costs, and that the level set for data purchase
can be justified objectively, charges should be made for data.
The current situation is a state of near chaos, and it is imperative that the MoWI acts to organize the
proper archiving, maintenance, and selling of groundwater data. Laws make this the principal
responsibility of the WRMA—also the agency that has a most definite need for groundwater data for its
archiving and must have ready access to it. The ministry—which is responsible for the ―development of
legislation, policy formulation, sector coordination and guidance, and monitoring and evaluation‖ (MoWI
2007a)—certainly needs groundwater data to perform its role, but not necessarily in its raw form.
3.7. Financing
The WRMA may determine charges to be imposed for the use of water from a water resource and may
retain some or all of the revenue from water use charges payable under a permit to be applied in meeting
the costs of performing its functions. Such charges include charges for abstraction of groundwater,
although WRMA does not segregate the charges it collects from groundwater and surface water. WRMA
may review water use charges, taking account of (a) the inflation rate; (b) the cost of managing the water
resources and water catchment areas; (c) the use of water charges as a tool for water demand
management; and (d) the use of water as a social and economic good.
The rules are designed on the basis of self-assessment, where the water user should make a fair
assessment of the quantity of water used with respect to each permit. Where the user does not make a
fair assessment, WRMA makes the assessment of the quantity of water used. Water use charges may be
paid directly to WRMA or to an appointed revenue collection agent. Failure to pay water use charges is a
breach of the conditions of a permit and may be a basis for revocation of the permit. This system of self-
assessment is difficult to enforce because the locations are often not known, and groundwater users are
unlikely to come forward of their own volition and make payment. Consequently, the WRMA has
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
experienced a serious shortfall in financial resources ever since it was established. Its development
budget for 2009/2010 is tabulated below (Table 9).
Table 9. WRMA Development budget, 2009/10
Region Development Budget (Million K. Shs)
WRMA HQ 450,714
Lake Victoria North Catchment Area 25,000
Lake Victoria South Catchment Area 24,969
Rift Valley Catchment Area 35,858
Athi Catchment Area 31,004
Tana Catchment Area 36,463
Ewaso Ngiro North Catchment Area 35,000
Total: 639,008
Of this, WRMA was able to collect less than KShs. 400 million from water use fees. It received no
allocation from the Treasury, and so has had to live with a budget deficit of 37 percent. This compares
with the actual and projected MoWI budgets shown in Table 10.
Table 10. MoWI budgets, 2004-13 (KShs. Billion)
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Type Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Printed Estimate Projection Projection
Recurrent 2,090 2325 2,239 2,669 3,574 4,171 5,689 9,450 5,419 7,078
Development 4,854 4,669 5,016 6,201 4,950 9,041 24,084 41,968 51,242 41,643
Total 6,944 6,944 7,255 8,870 8,524 13,212 29,773 51,418 56,661 48,721
Sources: 2003/4 – 2006/07 IEA 2008 : 2007/08 – 2012/13 GoK 2010
There is little information on the apportionment of finances between groundwater and surface water, since
expenditures are not normally categorized between them. This potentially can exacerbate the low priority
given to groundwater as opposed to surface water in the activities of WRMA. WRMA has been able
identify expenditures on groundwater management since its inception (Table 11). Its shows that in
2009/10 actual expenditures on groundwater management was less than 10 percent of the budgeted
amount.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 11. Analysis of expenditure on groundwater activities (KShs. Billion)
Financial year 2009/10 2008/09 2007/08 2006/07 2005/06
Annual Budget 55,000,000 100,260,000 0 0 0
*
Actual expenditure 3,918,558 26,821,242 0 3,588,340 0
Variance 51,081,442 73,438,758 0 -3,588,340 0
Notes: * Funds used for purchase of six sets of geophysics equipment for use in the six regional offices.
Source: WRMA
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
4. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
4.1. Climate change impacts on groundwater in Kenya
Few water sector professionals doubt that climate change will affect Kenya—indeed, there is ample
evidence that it already has (GoK 2010). The NCCRS has outlined the ways in which the water sector (in
the broadest, cross-sectoral sense) should address adaptation and mitigation, though more detailed
implementation plans will be required following the necessary policy and legal changes required to put the
strategy into effect (Section 2.5 above). SRES A1B is the middle-of-the-road emissions scenario
5
developed by the IPCC. Its implications are tabulated below.
Table 12. East African regional temperature, precipitation and extremes for SRES A1B
Temperature response (%) Precipitation response (%) Extreme seasons (%)
Season
Min 25 50 75 Max Min 25 50 75 Max Warm Wet Dry
DJF 2.0 2.6 3.1 3.4 4.2 -3 6 13 16 33 100 25 1
MAM 1.7 2.7 3.2 3.5 4.5 -9 2 6 9 20 100 15 4
JJA 1.6 2.7 3.4 3.6 4.7 -18 -2 4 7 16 100 - -
SON 1.9 2.6 3.1 3.6 4.3 -10 3 7 13 38 100 21 3
Annual 1.8 2.5 3.2 3.4 4.3 -3 2 7 11 25 100 30 1
Notes: East African region averages of temperature and precipitation projections from a set of 21 global climate models based on
the SRES A1B scenario. Values given are the likelihood of change from a baseline of 1989–99 in the period 2080–99; values are
shown only when at least 14 of the 21 simulations are in agreement.
Source: Based on Table 11.1, Christensen et al. (2007).
The table shows that in Kenya temperatures are virtually certain to rise and precipitation may increase.
Overall, wet seasons are likely to be wetter than at present; the likelihood that dry seasons will be more
intense is less than for wet seasons. Runoff is projected to increase (Bates et al. 2008), which will lead to
more erosion. More intense rainfall in ASALs is likely to lead to higher volumetric recharge, as recharge
typically only occurs after soil field capacity is met. Increasing water scarcity (temporal and spatial) may
increase the risk of corruption (TI 2008). Sea level rise will threaten coastal aquifer systems (halocline
transgression), though it is possible that the Kenya Coast may not be affected severely (Han et al. 2010).
5
―The A1 storyline and scenario family describes a future world of very rapid economic growth, global population that peaks
in mid-century and declines thereafter, and the rapid introduction of new and more efficient technologies. Major underlying
themes are convergence among regions, capacity building, and increased cultural and social interactions, with a substantial
reduction in regional differences in per capita income. The A1 scenario family develops into three groups that describe
alternative directions of technological change in the energy system. The three A1 groups are distinguished by their
technological emphasis: fossil intensive (A1FI), non-fossil energy sources (A1T), or a balance across all sources (A1B)
(balanced is defined as not relying too heavily on one particular energy source, on the assumption that similar improvement
rates apply to all energy supply and end use technologies‖ (IPCC 2000).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Groundwater systems react in different ways to climate change; shallow aquifers with short residence
times will react more quickly to changes in recharge, while deeper aquifers (particularly those with large
storage) will react more slowly—they are better buffered against climate change (BeBuffered.com 2010;
Bates et al. 2008).
Given the relatively poor level of understanding of Kenyan aquifers, it is difficult to determine the degree
to which they are sensitive to climate change. For the CSAs, a qualitative description of the vulnerability
to degradation is given in Chapter 5.
In order to guide the decision-making process and determine aquifer protection priorities, it is clearly
important to determine which aquifers are likely to be the most vulnerable. SKM (2009) describe a
vulnerability assessment framework that can be applied in both data-rich and data-poor environments and
at any scale. This is a risk-based assessment approach, and calls for a five-step process:
ï‚· Establish the context
ï‚· Identify the relevant climate change hazards for each applicable climate change scenario
ï‚· Assess the vulnerability of the groundwater system as it is
ï‚· Determine what adaptation measures could be implemented, repeat the consequences and
likelihoods exercise from this ―adapted‖ viewpoint
ï‚· Test the risks by identifying adaptation options for each scenario.
The actual adaptation phase starts with a list of priority measures that can be implemented—projects,
works, education, and so on. The process should be monitored and periodic reviews carried out.
Reviews repeated over time should result in better identification of effective adaptation measures, and will
also inform research into reducing the uncertainties of risk assessment. An aquifer should be selected for
a pilot assessment project to prove the approach in Kenya.
Ultimately, aquifer vulnerability to climate change assessments should be carried out for all strategic and
major aquifers, possibly as part of the CMS process and definitely whenever a sub catchment
Management Plan (SCMP) is drawn up for a sub catchment in which groundwater plays (or may be
expected to play) a role in the socio-economy.
At the national or regional level, the ministry should consider carrying out drought and flood vulnerability
mapping (Eriyagama et al. 2010). WRMA should also consider developing drought security maps for
climate-vulnerable parts of the nation (see MacDonald et al. 2001 on water security mapping in Ethiopia).
Groundwater offers good opportunities for adapting to climate change by (a) making use of groundwater
resources in dry periods in anticipation of wet season recharge, taking advantage of the natural buffering
capacity of aquifers; (b) managing aquifer recharge; (c) promoting recharge as part of spate irrigation
projects; (d) making better planned use of conjunctive groundwater and surface water (Table 13); (e)
promoting ancillary management measures such as enhancing natural vegetation in degraded
catchments to restore recharge rates to pre-degradation levels; (f) bunding fields or pasture, which will
pond rainwater, encourage infiltration, and enhance soil moisture, thus improving crop yields or grass
quality; and (g) re-using water (of all types) to take some of the pressure off water resources in general
30
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
and complete the ―3R‖ trio (water recharge, reuse, and retention (BeBuffered.com 2010). Broader,
catchment-wide measures also contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Table 13. Adaptation measures for water resources (UNFCC 2007)
Reactive adaptation Anticipatory adaptation
Protection of groundwater resources Better use of recycled water
Improved management and maintenance of existing
Conservation of water catchment areas
systems
Protection of water catchment areas Improved water (resources) management
Improved water supply Water policy reform + pricing + irrigation policies
Groundwater and rainwater harvesting/desalinization Development of flood control/drought response tools
Source: UNFCC 2007
4.2. Adaptation: managed aquifer recharge
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) systems are ―engineered systems where surface water is put on or in
the ground for infiltration and subsequent movement to augment groundwater resources‖ (Bouwer 2002).
There are numerous ways in which this can be achieved, and the appropriate method is almost always
aquifer-specific (WRMA 2009a; NWCPC 2006). This measure is of limited utility in aquifers where the
travel path and time from natural recharge zone to the zone of use is very long, unless direct recharge
methods (such as borehole injection) are carried out in the zone of use. MAR has a number of potential
applications, including (a) storing water for future use; (b) stabilizing or recovering groundwater levels in
overexploited aquifers; (c) reducing losses by evaporation; (d) managing halocline invasion or land
subsidence; and (e) making use of waste or storm water through soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) (Foster et
al. 2004).
Small-scale MAR—at the household or village level—offers considerable potential for mitigating drought.
The SASOL Foundation has constructed in excess of 500 sand dams in Kitui District. These illustrate
MAR at its simplest and most elegant. With low maintenance costs and a lifetime of ï?¾50 years, the
potential of sand dams for improving livelihoods is proven and the technology entirely domestic. Sand
dams are especially suited to crystalline basement rocks, which cover much of Kenya, and are a sound
climate change adaptation strategy, as the Kitui example shows. They are in no way ―managed‖ as part
of a formal water development program, and have now acquired a momentum of their own and are
managed at the local level by water users for water users.
More imaginative use of groundwater will reap dividends for Kenya as the effects of climate change
become more serious. The implementation of MAR at the local level brings with it a need to decentralize
aquifer management, and the acknowledgment that local management—at the water user level—is the
most appropriate approach. This is perhaps the strongest argument in favor of greater liberalization of
the groundwater sector
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Improved formal management of groundwater as part of climate change and conjunctive use strategies is
as yet inadequately explored in Kenya, partly because many of our aquifers are relatively poor in terms of
the efficiency of their water production and the cost of abstraction. However, if periodic drought becomes
commonplace, even the less efficient aquifers will become vital components in small-town water
management strategies. Again, the creation of increased groundwater storage in anticipation of wet
season recharge will be an important part of such strategies.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5. CASE STUDY AQUIFERS
5.1. Overview
The four case study aquifers have been selected to represent different sizes, agro-climatic zones, and
land use (Figure 3). Each has unique hydrogeological and socioeconomic characteristics and faces
different management challenges (Table 14). The table provides the WRMA classification on the type and
status of the aquifers (see section 3.1.3). The CSAs are described in more detail in the following
paragraphs, including a summary table of: a) the resource setting, and b) the risks and responsibilities.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Figure 3. Location map of the case study aquifers (CSAs)
Source: World Bank 2011 IBRD 38658
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 14. Case study aquifers’ characteristics
Parameter Merti Nairobi (NAS) Tiwi Baricho
Aquifer type (Semi)-consolidated Inter-montane valley fill Major alluvial Major alluvial
sedimentary
Lithology Clays, sands, Lavas & lake sediments Clays & sands Alluvial sand &
sandstones, limestones gravel
Dominant flow regime Inter-granular Inter-granular / fissure Inter-granular Inter-granular
Scale Regional/Transboundary Regional Local Local
ï?¾30 ï?¾2
2
Surface area, km 60,900 freshwater 6,500
Recharge, MCM/yr 3.3 (modern) 109 21 ï‚»83
Abstraction, MCM/yr 5.3 58 4.8 22
Pollution vulnerability 0.1 Negligible–low 0.1 Negligible–low 0.3 Low–moderate 0.6 High
Saltwater vulnerability N/A N/A 0.5 Moderate 0.1 Negligible
Depletion vulnerability Moderate/local Serious/extensive Low Low
Dominant water use (in ï‚· refugee camps ï‚· domestic ï‚· public W/S ï‚· public W/S
approximate order of volumetric ï‚· livestock ï‚· commercial
use) ï‚· domestic ï‚· industrial
ï‚· public W/S ï‚· irrigation
ï‚· public W/S
WRMA Type Strategic / Special Strategic Major Major
WRMA Status Satisfactory / Alert Alarm Alert Satisfactory
Notes: MCM is millions of cubic meters
Source: WRMA 2007.
5.2. Merti Aquifer
Merti is the largest aquifer in Kenya. It underlies the Lagh Dera, the ephemeral drainage system that
forms the eastward continuation of the Ewaso Ngiro North River, and parts of two WRMA regions, Tana
2
and Ewaso Ngiro North. It covers an area of 61,000 km within Kenya (this classification is based on
water quality, with electrical conductivities of less than 8,000 µS/cm: the saline or fine facies of the aquifer
2
cover a further 139,000 km , in which electrical conductivities are higher than 8,000 µS/cm) (UNICEF
KCO 2004). It is a transboundary aquifer, flowing into southern Somalia. It is confined through almost all
of its range, with water depths of 90 to 120 m bgl.
Merti dates to the Pliocene age and comprises semi-cemented to cemented sands, intercalated clays,
and (in the east) intercalated limestone beds. Its effective thickness is uncertain, but the thickest reported
was 80 m (C-11715, Dertu). However, evaluation of four hydrocarbon exploration boreholes suggests a
35
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
2
possible aquifer thickness of 130 to 280 m (Aquasearch Ltd 2002). Transmissivity ranges from 0.2 m /d
2 2
(fine facies) to 840 m /d (coarse facies), with a median of 275 m /d (n = 20). Derived hydraulic
2 2
conductivity values range from 0.007 m /d to 0.013 m /d (fine facies) to 0.1 to 12 m/d (coarse facies).
-5 -4
Storage coefficient ranges from 4.3 x 10 to 6.7 x 10 (n = 6). The hydraulic gradient ranges from 0.001
in the western part of the aquifer, falling to 0.0001 to 0.005 toward the border with Somalia.
5.2.1 Development, history and abstraction
The Merti aquifer is a strategic resource, providing water for rural centers (Habaswein and Dadaab being
the largest) and for the refugee camps in the Dadaab area, which currently host approximately 272,000
refugees (pers. comm., M. Owen, 17 May 2010). Discovered in the Second World War, little was done to
develop the Merti aquifer until the 1970s, when 50 boreholes for livestock water supply were drilled
(UNICEF KCO 2004). The second development phase occurred in the early 1990s with the
establishment of three refugee camps. A fourth refugee camp is to be constructed north of Ifoe, with an
expected maximum camp population of 80,000 refugees (Owen 2010). Historic and projected 2010
abstractions are in Table 15.
Table 15. Abstraction from the Merti aquifer over time (m3/yr)
Source Refugee Non- Total
Year
refugee
1970 Swarzenski et al. 1977 0 28,900 28,900
1973 Swarzenski et al. 1977 0 69,500 69.500
1992 Lane 1995 250,000 Not stated > 250,000
1994 Lane 1995 641,000 Not stated > 641,000
1997 CARE internal reports 885,750 Not stated > 885,750
2002 UNICEF KCO 2004 997,000 1,526,000 2,523,000
2008 CDC 2009 1,770,000 Not stated > 2,523,000
2009 Owen 2010 2,120,000 2,420,000 4,550,000
2010 Owen 2010 projected 2,740,000 2,540,000 5,280,000
Source: Various. See column 2.
Non-refugee camp water users are more important in socioeconomic and developmental terms, even if
their abstraction is lower than that for the refugee camps; the 1999 domestic population was
approximately 93,000. Water supply boreholes serve small rural communities and Location Centers,
meeting both livestock and human water demand.
5.2.2 Recharge
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Of the four case study aquifers, Merti is unique in that abstraction comes from fossil water. Based on
radiocarbon dates, groundwater age is about 30,000 years in the Dadaab area (UNICEF KCO 2004).
Modern recharge is estimated to be limited (ï?¾3.3 MCM/yr), with major recharge events (ï?¾30 MCM)
occurring at intervals of thousands to tens of thousands of years.
5.2.3 Vulnerability to pollution
The Merti aquifer is not vulnerable to pollution, as it is largely or wholly confined. Trace metals may occur
at slightly excessive concentrations; if verified, their presence is very likely to be natural.
5.2.4 Vulnerability to depletion
Most of the aquifer is under insignificant depletion stress, although there is very limited data available.
Some evidence exists to show that long-term abstraction at Habaswein may have led to some salinization
of groundwater at that location, and the same may be the case at other boreholes from the mid-1970s. At
Dadaab, depletion has occurred and continues, albeit at a slow rate (ï?¾0.1 m/yr), and water quality has
deteriorated over time (electrical conductivities have approximately doubled since the early 1970s).
5.2.5 Transboundary management
There is no formal transboundary management strategy in place. Since the Merti is a nonrenewable
6
groundwater resource under current conditions, a long-term plan for its use needs to be developed. This
should recognize that while ultimately the resource will become exhausted—the most conservative (Lane
1995) estimate suggests about 600 years—its use should balance current development priorities with
inter-generational equity. Decisions on this use need to be jointly developed and agreed by both Kenya
and Somalia.
5.2.6 Groundwater dependent ecosystems
The Lorian Swamp, a formerly perennial feature southeast of Habaswein, overlying the Merti Aquifer, is
2
the most historically significant ecosystem. When first described, it covered an area of 150 km
2
(Haywood 1913). In 1960, it covered 39 km (Bestow 1963), but today it is strictly seasonal and only
exists after significant flooding in the Ewaso Ngiro River. Swarzenski et al. (1977) state that there was
permanent swamp vegetation into the early 1950s, and that flow into the swamp occurred when flow at
Archer’s Post exceeded 35 to 40 MCM/month. It probably once played a role in maintaining recharge to
the Merti Aquifer in this area, or at least maintaining recharge to near-surface aquifers in the Habaswein-
Sabena zone.
5.2.7 Management
6
Nonrenewable groundwater is a ―groundwater resource available for extraction, of necessity over a finite period, from the
reserves of an aquifer which has a very low current rate of average annual renewal but a large storage capacity‖ (UNESCO
2006).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
There are two regional GWOs based in the Ewaso Ngiro North (Nanyuki) and Tana (Embu) regions.
Neither regional office is closer than 250 km from the nearest part of the aquifer; Dadaab, the area of
most intensive abstraction, is over 320 km from both ROs.
In the Merti Aquifer, there are both WRUAs, which have formed around community-owned boreholes for
water supply management purposes, and pastoralist associations (PAs),which are broader, community-
interest organizations that necessarily include issues relating to water and related conflict resolution, and
which also manage water supplies (FAO 2006: Oxfam 2002). However, neither of these association
types are involved in groundwater resources management.
In the Merti, limited impacts on the aquifer (which are mostly restricted to the refugee camp area) mean
that there has not been the degradation or depletion that would drive sector players together to manage
it. This will change in the long term, and will bring with it a need for both regional management (at the
aquifer scale) and local-level management (essentially abstraction management).
The major single water users—the UNHCR and refugee camp NGOs—are known and abstraction is also
known with reasonable accuracy. However, water charges are not paid, apparently because of an
agreement between the UNHCR and the government. This is inconsistent in terms of international
agreements, since the UN was the progenitor of the Dublin Principles (WMO 1992) and the organizing
host of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (UNCED 1992 and Agenda 21).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 16. Resource settings, Merti aquifer
Hydrogeological condition Value Remarks
Source
Well-defined in x, y and z planes - X and y planes good: z less certain
2
Definition of groundwater body
Transmissivity (T) (m /d) 3–840 Median 275 (n = 20)
Hydraulic conductivity (k) (m/d) 0.1–12 Derived from T and D data
-5 -4
Storage coefficient / specific yield 4.3 - 6.7 (n = 6)
(S / Sy)
2
Surface area (km ) 60,900 EC25 less than 8,000 µS/cm
Rainfall (mm/yr) 260–320 Relatively sparse data, but arid
Recharge (MCM/yr) 3.3 annually Periodic recharge (millennial scales)
Abstraction (2010) (MCM/yr) 5.3 Projected, assumes new camp constructed
Natural discharge Unknown Assumed to be oceanic front, Kismayu area
Soil type / thickness Variable Thin, typically sandy; clays at depth
Natural land cover Natural Significant conversion in the refugee camps
Resource renewability Fossil water: recharge insignificant (millennial intervals)
Surface water interaction None (or extremely limited)
Susceptibility to irreversible degradation ï‚· Very susceptible to localized over abstraction
ï‚· Water quality deterioration with abstraction: Moderate
Vulnerability to pollution Negligible to low (GOD: 0.1)
Socio-economic condition
Groundwater users Refugee > Livestock > Domestic > Other
Analysis of groundwater use Fair, but not quantitative
Analysis of pollution drivers None
5.2.8 Other issues
Water quality across the Merti is highly variable, being freshest along the aquifer center-line (the Lagh
Dera), becoming progressively more mineralized to the north and south. Waters are typically calcium
bicarbonate type, though with intense abstraction they tend toward sodium chloride dominance. The fine
facies—the peripheral aquifer—is sodium chloride dominated, brackish to saline. One identifying
o
characteristic of Merti groundwater is that it is warm (36 to 40 C). Very few tests for trace constituents
have been conducted; however, slightly elevated concentrations of arsenic, boron, cadmium, nickel, lead,
and mercury have been reported (Lane 1995: UNICEF KCO 2004). These data are isolated and have not
been confirmed through repeat analyses, which have not tested for these substances.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 17. Rights and responsibilities, Merti aquifer
1. Groundwater governance
Score Remarks
metrices
ï‚· Inventory of groundwater users, uses, 1 A range of data exist, but not in a form that allows easy
and use status water balance calculation, determination of what uses
dominate, or the degradation status of the aquifer.
ï‚· Clear right to access groundwater 0 Legal instruments exist, but public understanding is
established poor. Right is based on fixed-quantity, fixed time
period, but does not consider the water balance in
water allocation
ï‚· Mechanisms for local stakeholder 1 Mechanisms exist via the WRUA framework, but
involvement in GW planning and practical involvement has yet to be realized; some
management direct involvement through pastoral associations
ï‚· Existence of WRUAs and their
effectiveness in representing GW
users
ï‚· Effective legislation for supporting 2 Legislation exists, uptake so far poor
WRUAs
ï‚· Level of authority accorded to 0 None as yet
representative groups
ï‚· Opportunities for women and minority 0 Government has requirements on levels of
involvement in GW planning and representation by women & minorities; ineffective in
management practice (no GW WRUAs)
2. Role of private sector in Groundwater exploration/development
ï‚· Hydrogeologists 1 In response to market forces
ï‚· Drilling contractors 1 In response to market forces
ï‚· Developers 0 No or little commercial development drive
ï‚· Government / development partners 3 Principal drivers are for water supply improvement by
government / development partners, and by pastoral
associations.
3. Public education on aquifer status
ï‚· Education re. degradation 1 Limited understanding in the groundwater sector, none
(overabstraction) outside it, or by the public; no education
 Education re degradation—pollution 0 None
ï‚· Education re natural contaminants in 0 None
groundwater
ï‚· Education re vulnerability of recharge 0 None
zones
Note: 0 = nonexistent, 1= incipient, 2 = fair, and 3 = excellent.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.3. The Nairobi Aquifer System
In economic and scale of abstraction terms, the Nairobi Aquifer System (NAS) is the most significant of
the four case study aquifers. It is under increasing pressure as a result of economic growth combined
with the inability of water service providers to develop water supply infrastructure in tandem with demand
growth. Different parts of the system are subjected to different levels of stress, with a number of notable
―hotspots‖ where abstraction intensity has led to significant water level decline, water quality change, and
low-level conflict between water users, with some dissatisfaction expressed by civil society at what is
seen to be unregulated groundwater development. The WRMA considers the NAS to be a ―strategic‖
aquifer in an ―alarm‖ state (Table 14). A map showing the Nairobi aquifer system is shown in Figure 1.
The NAS covers an area of ï?¾6,500 km , and underlies much of the Nairobi metropolitan area. Its origins
2
date to the Plio-Pleistocene age. It is a complex multilayered volcanic / volcanoclastic aquifer system,
recharged along the eastern edge of the Rift Valley with groundwater moving toward the east. It is
unconfined in the recharge zone, becoming confined with the eastward progression. The principal aquifer
unit, the Upper Athi Series, is entirely confined, and typically found at depths of 120 to 300 m bgl.
2
Transmissivity values range from 0.1 to 160 m /d, with hydraulic conductivities ranging from 0.01 to 1.3
-4 -1
m/d. Storage coefficient values range from 1.2 x 10 to 4.2 x 10 .
5.3.1 Development, history and abstraction
Abstraction growth over time is difficult to determine, though a number of estimates and calculations have
been made (Table 18).
Table 18. Abstraction from the NAS overtime
Source Area covered Abstraction
Year
(MCM/yr)
2
1980 TAMS 1980 Nairobi (684 km ) 11.8
2
1992 MoWD / JICA 1992 Nairobi (684 km ) 13.8
2
1997 BCEOM 1998 Central aquifer (2,000 km ) 32.9
2
2009 WRMA 2010a Aquifer (5,460 km ) 57.6
Source: WRMA (2010a)
WRMA (2010a) compared authorized vs. actual abstraction in five ―hotspot‖ zones and projected
abstraction across the aquifer by area (Table 19).
The population of the aquifer area is difficult to determine with any accuracy, but estimates for the Nairobi
metropolitan area give indicative values for 1999, 2007, and 2012 of 3.33, 4.73, and 5.62 million
respectively (MoNMD 2008). The metropolitan area is approximately similar to the aquifer area, except
that it includes the basement areas of Tala, Kangundo, and Lukenya.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 19. Abstraction from the NAS by area, 2009
Authorized
Actual Abstraction No. Area
Area abstraction
(m3/day and MCM/yr) BHs (Km2)
(m3/day)
Daily Annual
Kikuyu-Limuru-Kiambu 26,697 59,616 21.8 1,296 1,457
Thika-Juja-Ruiru 21,351 12,025 4.4 325 1,129
Westlands-City-Centre-suburbs 41,988 15,200 5.5 950 181
Karen-Langata 19,160 18,216 6.6 552 80
Ongata Rongai-Kiserian-Ngong 11,799 8,003 3.0 510 502
Industrial Area-Athi River 15,068 26,876 9.8 553 357
Kajiado East-Kaputiei-Stony Athi-Koma Rock 15,852 17,668 6.5 670 1,498
TOTALS 151,915 157,604 57.6 4,856 5,204
Source: WRMA (2010a)
5.3.2 Recharge
Mean annual recharge is estimated to be 109 MCM/yr, which assumes a relatively high recharge rate of
9.2 percent (WRMA 2010a). This is possibly high, given the strictly localized nature of recharge to the
NAS. Irungu (1997) estimated recharge to humid volcanic aquifers to be 8 percent. Recharge occurs only
in the western and northwestern parts of the aquifer. The range of ages of waters in the NAS are not
known; however, given the lengths of flow paths (ï?¾15,000 to 30,000 m), aggregate aquifer thickness
(several hundreds of meters) and hydraulic gradients (�0.02 – 0.04), ages must be of the order of
hundreds of years in the aquifer underlying the city itself (World Bank 1998).
Groundwater is used for public and community water supply; for commercial, industrial, and irrigation
uses; and overwhelmingly for domestic use. An estimated 4,856 boreholes have been constructed in the
NAS.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.3.3 Vulnerability to pollution
As the NAS aquifer is largely confined, it is not significantly vulnerable to pollution. It has a GOD
vulnerability index of 0.1 (negligible/low); however, as little research has been directed toward the
recharge areas in the (north) west, this generalization should be treated with caution.
5.3.4 Vulnerability to depletion
NAS is the most heavily exploited aquifer in Kenya, and concerns have been growing about the
sustainability of the current levels of abstraction. Initial efforts to manage abstraction from the NAS
commenced in colonial times, with the establishment of the Nairobi Groundwater Conservation Area
(Gevaerts 1964; defined in GoK 1972). However, the Nairobi GCA has failed to control abstraction;
borehole numbers have grown from 10 in 1940, to 2,000 in 2002 (GWMATE 2005c), to an estimated
2
4,000 by 2009 in the central 2,140 km of the NAS alone (WRMA 2010b).
The Karen Lang’ata District Association (KLDA), a residents association in the western part of the city,
and the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations (KARA), an umbrella residents association
organization, have both expressed concern about the high density of boreholes and apparently
uncontrolled drilling over the past decade. Numerous private complaints have also been received by the
WRMA in recent years. An attempt by the WRMA to introduce a six-month suspension of borehole
authorizations in the metropolitan area, pending the completion of a water allocation plan study (WRMA
2008), was not supported by the parent ministry. The WRMA commissioned a preliminary water allocation
plan study (WAP), which was released in January 2010 (WRMA 2010a).
According to the WAP, ―it is strongly recommended that sound groundwater management be practiced
and strictly adhered to.‖ It also noted that the Athi WSB’s plans to increase its use of groundwater to
meet water demand are not in line with the urgent need to reduce groundwater abstraction. The strategy
made broad recommendations to (a) ban commercial irrigation abstraction in specified hotspot zones; (b)
bring about a change in mindset about groundwater at both the user and policy level; (c) increase
investment in groundwater research and information; (d) improve information sharing between the WRMA
and WSBs/WSPs; (e) ensure that regulations to protect against overexploitation and pollution are
enforced; (f) ensure that programs are in place to adequately monitor resource status; and (g) build
hydrogeology capacity for the WRMA staff in the NAS and the country in general.
5.3.5 Aquifer management and technical capacity
There is inadequate capacity in the WRMA offices responsible for the NAS. Between them—two
geologists are deployed to Nairobi SRO, none in Kiambu SROs—groundwater staff must manage about
4,000 groundwater permits. Furthermore, logistical support is inadequate. Planning departments in the
NAS area do not have any technical groundwater capacity, nor does the NCWSC.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.3.6 Groundwater-dependent ecosystems
There are certainly GDEs—e.g. the Ondiri Swamp—in the NAS, and the draft WAP presents a long list of
GDEs for this aquifer. It is estimated that baseflow accounts for between 34 and 44 percent of stream
flow across the NAS (WRMA 2010a).
The natural discharge from the NAS occurs as baseflow, but there are also a number of springs that
discharge from the western side of the Athi River in the Munyu area (Grabowsky and Poort BV 1997). At
Baricho, the natural discharge from underflow east of the waterworks contributes to baseflow, as well as
possibly contributing to the recharge of the underlying Kambe Limestones.
5.3.7 Management
The Nairobi aquifer system is the best staffed of the CSAs, with two GWOs deployed at Nairobi SRO.
Neither of the other SROs within the NAS has a GWO deployed (Kiambu and Tana Region’s Murang’a
SRO).
The NAS is unique among the CSAs due to its largely urban character. The common pool nature of the
resource and ownership perceptions means that there is little interest in groundwater conservation, and
widespread ignorance of the impacts the aquifer has already sustained means that those bodies that
might be able to contribute to participatory management focus more on surface water resources that have
been visibly affected. Thus the Mbagathi River WRUA (to the west of the city) was established to stem
degradation of the Mbagathi River. While its membership is aware that groundwater management is an
issue, it is not of a sufficiently high profile to be considered a major WRUA priority. The Athi CAAC has
been involved in reviewing applications for groundwater permits, and in several cases has recommended
rejecting some of these.
The NAS is the aquifer most in need of pragmatic management, but its urban nature, the practical value
of groundwater to commercial developers, and the lack of a rational groundwater allocation process all
conspire against participatory management. This will have to change if the best use is to be made of this
resource. First, an aquifer use policy needs to be developed to guide further groundwater use.
In the NAS it is estimated that approximately 15 percent of all water users abstract water in accordance
with the law; that is, they possess water permits and pay water charges (WRMA 2010b). It is expected
that this situation will improve in the wake of a borehole inventory study that is currently being conducted.
5.3.8 Other Issues
Much of the groundwater in the NAS is naturally high in dissolved fluoride, often exceeding the Kenya
standard of 1.5 mg/l (KEBS 2007). This is particularly so in the deeper aquifers, water from which may
exceed 10 mg/l of fluoride. Of 16 public water supply boreholes operated by the NCWSC for which
chemical data are available, 12 exceeded the national standard (partial sample of 27 NCWSC boreholes;
KEBS 2010). EC25 ranges from 250 µS/cm in the northwestern part of the aquifer (the recharge zone) to
over 1,000 µS/cm in the Embakasi area (Coertsiers et al. 2008; Aquasearch Ltd 2001;
MoLRRWD/BCEOM 1998). In their natural state, waters are typically of sodium-bicarbonate type; time
44
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
series data show that the chemistry of some groundwater has changed, with calcium concentrations
falling and chloride and fluoride concentrations increasing.
Table 20. Resource settings, Nairobi aquifer system
Hydrogeological condition Value Remarks
Source
Well-defined in x, y and z planes - General geometry understood, but
not in detail
2
Transmissivity (T) (m /d) 0.1–160 Large range (n = 83, median = 3.4
2
Definition of groundwater body
m /d)
Hydraulic conductivity (k) (m/d) 0.01–1.3 Large range but few data
-4 -1
Storage coefficient / specific yield (S 1.2 –4.2 Large range (n = 82, median =
-2
/ Sy) 1.0 )
2
Surface area (km ) 5,462 WRMA 2010a
Rainfall (mm/yr) 917 mean WRMA 2010a
Recharge (MCM/yr) 109 WRMA 2010a
Abstraction (2010) (MCM/yr) 58 WRMA 2010a
Natural discharge Uncertain Assumed as baseflow to Athi: no
data
Soil type / thickness Variable Reasonable to good
understanding
Natural land cover Variable Land largely converted
Resource renewability Areally restricted, travel times 10–100+ years
Surface water interaction Significant: baseflow 35 to 45 percent of total flow
Susceptibility to irreversible degradation ï‚· Depletion susceptibility: High
ï‚· Water quality deterioration with abstraction:
Moderate
Vulnerability to pollution Negligible to low (GOD: 0.1)
Socio-economic condition
Groundwater users Domestic > Commercial > Industrial > Irrigation >
PWS > Other
Analysis of groundwater use Fair, but not quantitative
Analysis of pollution drivers Incipient
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 21. Rights and responsibilities, Nairobi Aquifer System
1. Groundwater governance
Score Remarks
metrices
ï‚· Inventory of groundwater users, uses, 1 A range of data exist, but not in a form that allows easy
and use status water balance calculation, determination of what uses
dominate, or the degradation status of the aquifer
ï‚· Clear right to access groundwater 0 Legal instruments exist, but public understanding is
established poor. Right is based on fixed-quantity, fixed time
period, but does not consider the water balance in
water allocation
ï‚· Mechanisms for local stakeholder 0 Mechanisms exist via the WRUA framework, but
involvement in GW planning and practical involvement has yet to be realized;* CSO
concerns regarding GW degradation are infrequently
management
responded to**
ï‚· Existence of WRUAs and their 1 A few WRUAs in the aquifer area but none are directly
effectiveness in representing GW involved with GW resources
users
ï‚· Effective legislation for supporting 2 Laws exist, uptake so far poor
WRUAs
ï‚· Level of authority accorded to 0 None as yet
representative groups
ï‚· Opportunities for women and minority 1 Government has requirements on levels of
involvement in GW planning and representation by women & minorities; ineffective in
management practice (no GW WRUAs)
2. Role of private sector in Groundwater exploration/development
ï‚· Hydrogeologists 2 Key, but respond to market forces
ï‚· Drilling contractors 2 Key, but respond to market forces
ï‚· Developers 3 Main driving force behind GW development
ï‚· Government / development partners 2 Key, but respond to market forces
3. Public education on aquifer status
ï‚· Education re. degradation 1 One effort was made to sensitize the KWIA
(overabstraction) (hydrogeologists/ drillers/suppliers) on the impacts of
over abstraction; this was not successful
 Education re degradation—pollution 0 None
ï‚· Education re natural contaminants in 1 Some emerging awareness of the risks associated with
groundwater drinking naturally fluoridated water—NCWSC, SFR
ï‚· Education re vulnerability of recharge 0 Emerging awareness within the water sector, but no
zones public education effort made
Note: 0 = nonexistent, 1= incipient, 2 = fair, and 3 = excellent. * The Lake Naivasha WRUA (LANAWRUA) is actively involved in
reviewing applications for water permits, but their views are not always taken into account by THE WRMA (see Text Box, Section
8.5 of main report).** Resident associations and individuals question the WRMA about groundwater permits or the viability of a new
borehole in an area of high borehole density, but responses are rare.
46
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.4. The Tiwi aquifer
The Tiwi Aquifer is a small but strategically important groundwater source on the South Mombasa Coast.
2
It underlies an area of 147 km between the Mwachema River to the south and a point between Matuga
and Ngombeni in the north; its eastern boundary is the contact with the Pleistocene coral limestone, and
its western boundary is approximately 2,000 meters west of the Likoni-Ukunda road (Adams 1986). It
comprises back-reef deposits (lagoon sands) of Pleistocene age, not more than 70 m thick (also called
the ―Kilindini Sands‖). Technically this aquifer might be considered a recent coast limestone aquifer;
however, as its character is alluvial (very fine to coarse sands), we consider it a major alluvial formation
The Tiwi Aquifer is semi-confined or confined, with rest water level 25 to 30 m bgl and struck levels
typically a meter or so deeper than this. Individual boreholes are capable of very high yields, though there
is a tendency to pull fine sands into wellbores, partly because of improper slot-size selection.
2 -3 -2
Transmissivity values range from 120 to 600 m /d, and storage coefficients from 9.3 x 10 to 8.0 x 10 .
Derived values of k range from 13 to 36 m/d.
Figure 4. The Tiwi aquifer
Source: Diani (after Horkel et al 1984)
47
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.4.1 Development, history and abstraction
The Tiwi Aquifer has been developed for public water supply purposes since the mid-1970s, and is
currently one of the two major water sources in the South Coast (the other being the Marere Springs
south of Kwale Town).
3
A total of 13 boreholes have a potential installed capacity of 13,000 m /d (4.8 MCM/yr), which supplies
Ukunda, Likoni, and Matuga. An additional seven boreholes are planned for construction under the Water
and Sanitation Service Improvement Project (WaSSIP; CWSB 2010). Three existing boreholes are to be
rehabilitated; the new boreholes are to be replacement boreholes, so will add little to mean daily
abstraction. There are no significant Tiwi Aquifer users apart from the Coast WSB.
5.4.2 Recharge
The aquifer is recharged from the west and possibly also from seasonal swamps and lakes directly
overlying the aquifer; recharge is both autogenic and allogenic. Adams (1986) calculated mean annual
3
recharge to be approximately 9.9 MCM (27,000 m /d), though mean annual flux calculations are much
higher than this (90 MLD or 33 MCM/yr). He recommended that a working recharge value of 57.5 MLD or
21 MCM/yr be used when planning the long-term development of this resource.
5.4.3 Vulnerability to pollution
The Tiwi Aquifer is currently not threatened; land uses are predominately agricultural, and abstraction is
currently far less than mean annual recharge. However, two potential threats to this aquifer have been
identified; sand harvesting, and unsewered urban development. Unregulated sand harvesting may
remove enough of the overlying unsaturated material to increase the risk of pollution by direct recharge of
dirty water. Any urban development that relies on site sanitation systems (pit latrines or septic tanks) will
also constitute a risk to this aquifer.
Wellhead protection is generally poor (see below), and there are no wellhead protection zones other than
the compounds in which the boreholes are located, which are probably sufficient as a Total Protection
Zone (TPZ), but probably not as a 50-day ToT protection zone (ARGOSS 2002).
Electrical conductivity values currently range from 420 to 750 µS/cm, similar to when the boreholes were
first constructed (493 to 1,000 µS/cm). Little current drawdown data are available, but what there is
suggests that dynamic water levels are at or around sea level (drawdown ranges from 1.6 to 20 m).
The risk of salinization as a result of lateral or vertical movement of the halocline, certainly exists.
However, there are no data to suggest this is taking place (although deeper boreholes were found to
produce more saline water at depth). The Ghyben-Herzberg principle describes the relationship between
freshwater and saltwater in a coastal aquifer, and suggests that the risk of vertical halocline movement is
limited, and the risk of lateral halocline transgression is no more than moderate.
At a practical level, the wellhead protection at individual boreholes in the Tiwi well field is poor in cases.
Although Tiwi borehole compounds are manned and fenced, leaving a borehole open like this is poor
48
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
practice. Boreholes should be capped with steel, perforated to accommodate the rising main, the power
cable, and a dipper tube.
5.4.4 Vulnerability to depletion
Under the current abstraction regime, the Tiwi Aquifer faces no vulnerability risk; this may change if the
South Coast develops as envisaged in Vision 2030.
5.4.5 Groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Throughout the Tiwi area there are numerous small wetlands that flood entirely during and after wet
seasons. These areas are very likely to contribute recharge to the Tiwi Aquifer itself, and if so perform an
important ecological function by not only providing habitat for aquatic life, but also partly purifying surface
water as it recharges.
5.4.6 Management
Both the Tiwi and Baricho Aquifers are managed from Athi Region’s Mombasa SRO, which has no GWO
deployed (the GWO at Mombasa was re-deployed to Nairobi SRO). The Tiwi Aquifer and the Baricho
aquifer are located 10 km, 110 km from Mombasa respectively. There is also a Regional GWO at
Machakos RO, which is over 300 straight-line km from the coast CSAs. The CWSB has recently recruited
a hydrogeologist, who should contribute to the better management of the two Coast CSAs.
The Tiwi Aquifer does have some scope for participatory management, with the key stakeholders being
the CWSB/KWASCO, Kwale County Council, and the NESC (in the context of the South Coast Resort
City and V2030). As it is currently not degraded, and as it is likely that in the medium to long-term greater
abstraction from it is likely, a strong case can be made for the initiation of a planning and groundwater
management process immediately. However, for any meaningful participatory management to take place,
the regulatory and support environment needs to change. This is discussed elsewhere in this report.
None of the CSAs are recognized as discrete entities that are specifically ―managed;‖ consequently, there
is no information dissemination protocol developed for any of them. In the cases of Tiwi and Baricho,
there is very limited liaison between the CWSB and the WRMA, and WRMA is in possession of very
limited data regarding these resources.
Abstraction data can be estimated for the Tiwi and Baricho aquifers. They are used exclusively for public
water supply through the CWSB. At Tiwi and Baricho, the details should be easy enough to compile;
however, as there are no water permits issued for either of these aquifers, and as no water use charges
are paid, the WRMA does not have any details other than approximate abstraction data.
49
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 22. Resource settings, Tiwi aquifer
Hydrogeological condition Value Remarks
Source
Well-defined in x, y and z planes - General geometry understood (x,
y & z)
2 2
Transmissivity (T) (m /d) 120– 600 Log mean 167–323 m /d
Definition of groundwater body
Hydraulic conductivity (k) (m/d) 13–36
-3 -
Storage coefficient / specific yield (S/Sy) 9.3 –8.0 (n = 3)
2
2
Surface area (km )
2
ï?¾30 Total catchment area 147 km .
Rainfall (mm/yr) 1,109
mean
Recharge (MCM/yr) 21
Abstraction (2010) (MCM/yr) 4.8 Maximum abstraction capacity,
not actual annual abstraction
Natural discharge Uncertain Assumed discharge across
oceanic front, Waa-Mwachema
Soil type / thickness Variable Good understanding
Natural land cover Variable Land partly converted
Resource renewability Bi-annual (direct and lateral recharge)
Surface water interaction Moderate to strong
Susceptibility to irreversible degradation ï‚· Depletion susceptibility: none at present
ï‚· Water quality deterioration with abstraction:
halocline invasion risk 0.5 or moderate (SEA-
GIndex)
Vulnerability to pollution Low to moderate (GOD: 0.3)
Socio-economic condition
Groundwater users PWS
Analysis of groundwater use Good
Analysis of pollution drivers Fair—sand harvesting and wastewater
(unregulated development)
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 23. Rights and responsibilities, Tiwi aquifer
1. Groundwater governance
metrices Score Remarks
ï‚· Inventory of groundwater users, uses, 3 Data exist and the aquifer is monitored; as it is entirely
and use status used for PWS, use and status are relatively easy to
determine
ï‚· Clear right to access groundwater 0 Legislative instruments exist, but public understanding
established is poor. No water permits, no water use charges paid
ï‚· Mechanisms for local stakeholder 0 Mechanisms exist via the WRUA framework, but
involvement in GW planning and practical involvement has yet to be realized. Local
CSO is uncertain about the definition of the ―Tiwi
management
Aquifer,‖ as compared with the ―Msambweni aquifer‖ or
the ―Tiomin aquifer‖
ï‚· Existence of WRUAs and their 0 No WRUA
effectiveness in representing GW
users
ï‚· Effective legislation for supporting 2 Laws exists; no uptake in aquifer area
WRUAs
ï‚· Level of authority accorded to 0 None
representative groups
ï‚· Opportunities for women and minority 1 Government has requirements on levels of
involvement in GW planning and representation by women & minorities; ineffective in
practice (no GW WRUAs)
management
2. Role of private sector in Groundwater exploration/development
ï‚· Hydrogeologists 1 Key, but respond to market forces
ï‚· Drilling contractors 1 Key, but respond to market forces
ï‚· Developers 0 None (directly)
ï‚· Government / development partners 1 Key, but respond to market forces
3. Public education on aquifer status
ï‚· Education re. degradation 0 None
(overabstraction)
 Education re degradation—pollution 0 None
ï‚· Education re natural contaminants in 0 Emerging awareness within the water sector, but no
groundwater public education effort made
ï‚· Education re vulnerability of recharge 0 None
zones
Note: 0 = nonexistent, 1= incipient, 2 = fair, and 3 = excellent.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.4.7 Other Issues
Given that Kenya’s Vision 2030 envisages the development of a resort city on the South Coast (NESC
2007), pressures to change land use may increase the vulnerability of this aquifer to pollution, as well as
possibly lead to greater abstraction.
5.5. The Baricho Aquifer
The Baricho Aquifer is the smallest of the aquifer systems examined in this case study, but WRMA
considers it a strategic aquifer because of its great importance in public water supply to the Coastal Strip
(extending from Malindi to the North Mombasa Mainland). The aquifer was formed astride the N-S
trending Lango-Baya fault, which makes an unconformable contact between the Mazeras Sandstones
and the Kambe Limestones. Pleistocene sea level fall led to down cutting; sea level rise then led to the
infilling of the resultant river valley with coarse alluvium. In cross-section, the aquifer is shaped like an
inverted triangle (Figure 5), incised into the underlying bedrock. This deeper unit is typically 40 m thick.
Overlying this is up to 20 meters of sand, silt, and clay. In most boreholes, the entire sequence is
saturated.
The aquifer is semi-confined to unconfined, with vertical hydraulic conductivities between 75 and 500 m/d
2
(NWCPC 1995), inferring transmissivities of 3,750 to 25,000 m /d for a saturated thickness of 50 m.
2
Modeled T values ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 m /d. Specific yield (Sy) ranges from 0.15 to 0.285,
3
inferring storage of 7 to 13 million m . The part of the aquifer that has been exploited to date covers a
2
small area (2 km ). Water quality is good: EC25 ranges from 390 to 680 µS/cm, and water is moderately
hard (Hem 1992).
Figure 5. Conceptual cross-section through the Baricho aquifer
Source: NWCPC 1995.
Development, history, and abstraction
52
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Source: NWCPC 1995
5.5.1 Development, history and abstraction
First developed in the 1980s, the aquifer is strictly alluvial and very efficient; public water supply
boreholes at Baricho Waterworks on the south bank of the Sabaki are 50–60 m deep, with water
encountered 3 to 5 m bgl. At present, approximately 60 MLD is pumped from eight boreholes (22
MCM/yr); potential maximum capacity is 96 MLD (35 MCM/yr). In practical terms, the Baricho Aquifer
provides surface water abstraction; infiltrating river water recharges the bankside and valley fill aquifer,
which is then pumped into supply from large-diameter boreholes.
5.5.2 Recharge
Recharge is a function of surface water flow, although storage is considerable, providing a buffer against
surface water drought. Recharge has not been calculated, as it is in part a function of abstraction (i.e. the
more intensive the abstraction, the greater the drawdown and so the greater the volume of induced
recharge). The net effect of large-scale abstraction is to reduce surface water flow downstream;
simulations have shown that up to 228 MLD could be abstracted (83 MCM/yr) for short periods.
5.5.3 Vulnerability to pollution
The Baricho is potentially the most vulnerable of all the aquifers considered in this study, but its protection
is favored by the fact that the area around the water works is sparsely populated and the land is owned
by the government. The biggest threat to the aquifer is probably polluted surface water from the Sabaki
River. No analyses have been made of trace contaminants, such as pesticides, so the susceptibility of
this aquifer to contamination by these compounds is unknown. The aquifer has a GOD index of 0.6,
which means its vulnerability is high.
5.5.4 Vulnerability to depletion
At the current levels of abstraction, the Baricho Aquifer is at no risk of depletion. Both the Tiwi and
Baricho aquifers are managed from Athi Region’s Mombasa SRO, which has no GWO deployed (the
GWO at Mombasa was re-deployed to Nairobi SRO). There is also a regional GWO at Machakos RO,
which is over 300 straight-line km from the coast CSAs. The CWSB has recently recruited a
hydrogeologist, who should contribute to the better management of the two Coast CSAs.
None of the CSAs are recognized as discrete entities that are specifically ―managed;‖ consequently, there
is no information dissemination protocol developed for any of them. In the cases of the Baricho aquifer,
there is very limited liaison between the CWSB and the WRMA, and WRMA is in possession of very
limited data regarding these resources.
The Baricho aquifer is used exclusively for public water supply through the CWSB. The abstraction
details should be easy enough to compile; however, as there are no water permits issued for the Baricho
aquifer and water uses, and as no water use charges are paid, the WRMA does not have any details
other than approximate abstraction data.
53
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 24. Resources setting, Baricho aquifer
Hydrogeological condition Value Remarks
Source
Well-defined in x, y and z planes - Good, well
understood.
2
Transmissivity (T) (m /d) 3,750–10,000 As modeled
Hydraulic conductivity (k) (m/d) 75 – 500 Derived (D = 50 m).
Definition of groundwater body
Storage coefficient / specific yield (S / Sy) 0.15–0.285 As modeled
2
Surface area (km ) 1.9 Aquifer area in use at
present
Rainfall (mm/yr) 550 Not relevant to
Baricho aquifer
management (value
for 3AH, MoWI
2009a)
Recharge (MCM/yr) ï‚»83 (Maximum modeled
abstraction)
Abstraction (2010) (MCM/yr) 22 Maximum abstraction
capacity, not actual
annual abstraction
Natural discharge Uncertain Underflow and
baseflow to Sabaki
River
Soil type / thickness Understood Silts and sand
Natural land cover Preserved Largely natural
Resource renewability Continuous direct recharge from Sabaki
River
Surface water interaction Very strong
Susceptibility to irreversible degradation ï‚· Depletion susceptibility: none known at
present
ï‚· Water quality deterioration with
abstraction: halocline invasion risk <0.1
or negligible (SEA-GIndex)
Vulnerability to pollution High (GOD: 0.6)
Socio-economic condition
Groundwater users PWS
Analysis of groundwater use Good
Analysis of pollution drivers Poor
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.5.5 Other issues
Flooding of some of the borehole headworks during the 1998/99 El Niño event led to the ingress of iron-
reducing bacteria (Gallionella, Crenothrix or Leptothrix spp.), clogging screens which led eventually to
reduced borehole efficiencies (increased drawdown per unit discharge). Boreholes were treated by
superchlorination followed by surging. There are no data to show how successful these operations have
been; alternative biofouling treatment methods have not yet been used, though some of these may be
more appropriate. It is not known whether the aquifer itself is contaminated, though it has been known to
occur in some hydrogeological environments (Walter 1997).
5.5.6 Management
Management issues for the Baricho Aquifer are comparable to those described for the Tiwi aquifer.
55
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 25. Rights and responsibilities, Baricho aquifer
1. Groundwater governance
Score Remarks
metrices
ï‚· Inventory of groundwater users, uses, 3 Data exist and the aquifer is monitored; as it is entirely
and use status used for PWS, use and status are relatively easy to
determine
ï‚· Clear right to access groundwater 0 Legal instruments exist, but public understanding is
established poor. No water permits, no water use charges paid
ï‚· Mechanisms for local stakeholder 0 Mechanisms exist via the WRUA framework, but
involvement in GW planning and practical involvement has yet to be realized
management
ï‚· Existence of WRUAs and their 0 No WRUA
effectiveness in representing GW
users
ï‚· Effective legislation for supporting 2 Legislation exists, no uptake in aquifer area
WRUAs
ï‚· Level of authority accorded to 0 None
representative groups
ï‚· Opportunities for women and minority 1 Government has requirements on levels of
involvement in GW planning and representation by women & minorities; ineffective in
practice (no WRUA)
management
2. Role of private sector in Groundwater exploration/development
ï‚· Hydrogeologists 0 Very limited for Baricho Aquifer
ï‚· Drilling contractors 1 In response to CWSB
ï‚· Developers 0 No direct role
ï‚· Government / development partners 0 Very limited for Baricho Aquifer
3. Public education on aquifer status
ï‚· Education re. degradation 0 None
(overabstraction)
 Education re degradation—pollution 0 None
ï‚· Education re natural contaminants in 0 None
groundwater
ï‚· Education re vulnerability of recharge 0 Emerging awareness within the water sector, but no
zones public education effort made
Note: 0 = nonexistent, 1= incipient, 2 = fair, and 3 = excellent.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
5.6. Summary of risks and benefits of the CSAs
5.6.1 Risks and benefits
Table 26 summarizes the three typologies and their application to each of the CSAs and illustrates the
broad range of risks and potential benefits in the four CSAs.
The Merti is a large fossil groundwater resource that is at risk of irreversible damage by abstraction—but
only over a very long period of time (hundreds to thousands of years). An aquifer management plan
should be developed to ensure that the most effective use is made of this resource, which is of critical
value to North Eastern Province. It is not vulnerable to pollution from the land surface, and has
considerable potential to contribute to meeting MDGs and in the development of the region through small-
scale use (rural centers). It has minor natural water quality issues, which at present appear manageable.
The scope for large-scale conjunctive use is limited, though this aquifer may ultimately be developed to
supply towns—such as Wajir—in the region with water (MoWRM&D 2003). Its potential as a source of
irrigation water is limited, because of a combination of poor soils and intrinsic groundwater quality. It is a
transboundary resource that was hitherto of some importance to the downstream state (Somalia), though
no joint strategies exist for its management at present.
The NAS is a socioeconomically important resource that is the most seriously stressed of the CSAs,
principally because of localized overabstraction. Recharge occurs at its western edge, and groundwater
beneath Nairobi is on the order of a hundred years old, so it is at some risk of irreversible degradation
through abstraction, though at limited risk of pollution from the land surface. Given that it is currently
under overabstraction stress, it offers little potential to meet MDGs or contribute to national development
in any but a short time-frame; however, with suitably targeted artificial groundwater recharge, it offers
some conjunctive use potential. Naturally high dissolved fluoride concentrations exceed national
standards for this ion, which technically could limit its use.
The Tiwi Aquifer is a relatively small but important aquifer that is dedicated entirely too public water
supply at present, supplying part of the South Coast with water. It is currently at limited risk of
degradation from overabstraction or loss of storage, but is vulnerable to diffuse pollution from the land
surface if sand harvesting or significant changes in unregulated land use occur. It is at greater risk from
point-source pollution than either the Merti or the NAS, but less so than Baricho; however, it is at the
greatest risk of halocline movement of any of the CSAs, although the risk is relatively small. With no
natural water quality constraints, it has significant potential to meet greater water demand for urban water
supply, but probably not for large-scale irrigated agriculture. Similarly, it has some potential to help meet
rural MDGs and improve local livelihoods.
The Baricho Aquifer is a small, highly efficient aquifer of major importance as a source of water for the
North Kenya Coast. It is under insignificant risk of degradation through overabstraction but is significantly
vulnerable to pollution via recharging Sabaki River waters. Aquifer storage is at no risk of depletion under
the current abstraction regime, and the aquifer offers considerable scope for meeting urban and rural
water demand in the North Coast, so improving livelihoods and addressing MDGs. Although it is very
vulnerable to point-source pollution, there is no evidence that this is a problem as yet; natural water
quality is excellent.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 26. Typologies and threats to case study aquifers
Typology Situation/process Merti Nairobi Tiwi Baricho
Intensive exploitation
(leading to land subsidence,
+++ +++++ + -----
saline or polluted water
Risk of extensive quasi- intrusion)
irreversible aquifer
Vulnerable to pollution from
degradation and subject
land surface (vulnerability, ----- ----- +++ +++++
to potential conflict
pollution)
among users
Depletion of nonrenewable
storage (in aquifers with low +++++ ++++ N/A N/A
contemporary recharge)
With growing large-scale
abstraction (especially in
N/A N/A -- ---
aquifers with high T/S
Potential water use ratios)
conflict but not at risk of
Vulnerable to point-source
quasi-irreversible aquifer
pollution (vulnerability, ----- ---- +++ +++++
degradation
pollution)
Shared transboundary
+++++ ----- ----- -----
resource
Potential to improve rural
welfare & livelihoods (not +++++ ----- +++ +++++
fulfilling MDG potential)
Insufficient (or
inadequate use of) Natural quality problems
++ ++++ --- -----
scientific knowledge to (e.g. As, F)
guide dev. policy &
process Scope for large-scale
planned conjunctive use
++ ----- ++++ ++++
(urban W/S or irrigated
agriculture)
Key â—„ â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•?â•? â–º
----- ---- --- -- - + ++ +++ ++++ +++++
No risk / hazard Certain risk / hazard
5.6.2 Values
An attempt was made to determine the value of the groundwater in the four CSAs. Due to the lack of
information about the aquifers, a simple method was used to indicate the relative value of the CSAs
(Table 27) based on the following assumptions:
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
ï‚· The value of the Merti Aquifer abstraction is taken to be equivalent to water charges that would be
3
paid by Category B, C, or D water users (greater than 20 m ), assuming that 75 percent of
3
abstraction falls into Categories B, C, or D and users would then pay KShs. 0.50/m .
ï‚·
3
For the NAS, the revenue is calculated, using only the first tariff band (KShs. 18.71/m ). This is
compared with water charge revenue that the WRMA would expect to get if all water users in
7 3
categories B, C, and D were paying the minimum water use charge (KShs. 0.50/m ), though in reality
the actual earnings would be considerably higher than this minimum figure.
ï‚· For Tiwi and Baricho, we compare the tariffs used by the water companies and compare the value so
3
calculated with the water use charge for public water supply (KShs. 0.50/m ). As all use is high-
volume abstraction, all water use is chargeable.
Table 27. Relative value of abstraction from CSAs
Merti Nairobi Tiwi Baricho
Volume (MLD) 14.5 158 13 60
Proportion charged (%) 75 81.6 100 100
Volume charged (MLD) 10.9 129 13 60
3
Water charge (KShs./m ) 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
Value using water charge (KShs. 2.0 23.5 2.4 11.0
Million/yr)
3
Tariff (KShs./m ) - 18.71 - -
Volume charged (MLD) - 158 13 60
Value using tariff (KShs. - 1,079 - -
Million/yr)
It should be noted that these ―values‖ (particularly those based on water charges) represent a minimum
value. Irrigators place a far higher premium on their water supply; optimal net returns from water used by
3 3
a range of irrigators in the Naivasha Basin ranged from $0.054/m for irrigated grass to $4.4/m for
3
greenhouse flowers (KShs. 4.3 to 350/m ) (Sayeed 2001). Groundwater abstraction in 2005 in this basin
was estimated to exceed 43.5 MLD (ï?¾16 MCM/yr) (Rural Focus Ltd 2006), of which about 80 percent was
used for irrigation. The ―value‖ of groundwater for commercial irrigation users is thus very large.
Even ignoring the uncosted benefits (health, education, economic opportunity), it is clear that the CSAs
have considerable economic value:
ï‚· In the Merti, the ability to access water is literally a matter of life or death; numerous small rural
centers would largely fade away in the absence of groundwater, as happened at Wel Merer when its
borehole failed in the 1980s and was re-established after a successful borehole was constructed
7
687 applicants for Category A water permits (10 m3/d or less), out of a database of 3,737 applications, is 18.4 percent.
Therefore, 81.6 percent of abstraction is assumed to be in Categories B, C, or D (WRMA 2007).
59
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
there in 2002 (Aquasearch Ltd 2002). Poor aquifer management—the approval of boreholes in
valuable grazing lands, for example (Oxfam 2002)—can lead to grazing land use conflicts.
ï‚· The NAS is commercially far more valuable than the indicative economic values above would
suggest. The highly profitable private sector commercial and residential building boom that the City of
Nairobi has seen in the past eight or so years would largely fail were it to rely on mains water.
Estate-type water supplies are often expensive, yet still cheaper than the purchase of bowser water.
The actual cost of pumping water from a borehole and distributing it around an estate in western
3
Nairobi was KShs. 104 per m in early 2008 (pers. comm. Kisembe Estate Ltd).
ï‚· Both the Tiwi and Baricho aquifers are indispensable resources in their own right, supplying a
significant proportion of drinking water to the Coastal strip.
5.6.3 Climate change impacts
Of the CSAs, the Merti is probably the most resistant to climate change; as little modern recharge occurs,
changes in storage will reflect natural and anthropogenic discharge and not changes in climate. However,
if significantly more frequent flooding of the former Lorian Swamp occurs, local recharge may lead to the
invigoration of the shallow aquifer reported by Swarzenski et al. (1977) in the Habaswein-Sabena area.
The NAS may benefit from future increased natural recharge in the western uplands, but in the short term
this will not be observed in the main abstraction areas because of the long flow path and travel time. The
main driver of change in storage will be anthropogenic abstraction.
The two coastal CSAs are more directly linked to the surface environment and are more likely to show
variation brought about by climate change. Tiwi will benefit from more recharge and so may be enhanced
as a water supply source. Baricho will almost certainly benefit from higher discharge than at present,
which will draw from almost the entire Athi Basin; again, this translates into greater abstraction potential.
While these direct outcomes appear positive, there will be negative effects, too; increased rainfall
intensity will increase sediment load in rivers, which may ultimately affect the Baricho Aquifer by reducing
the hydraulic conductivity of the river bed. Landslides will become a greater threat than they already are
at present, putting at risk water monitoring, supply, and wastewater infrastructure (as well as roads,
bridges etc).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6. Findings and recommended management actions
6.1. Evaluation of groundwater governance
Table 28 shows the evaluation of groundwater governance in the CSAs and on the national level and
illustrates that Kenya does not score highly on groundwater governance.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Table 28. Evaluation of groundwater governance for CSAs and in national capacity
Inst.
Capacity Criterion Context Merti Nairobi Tiwi Baricho Capacity
Provision
Aquifer maps ID GWR 1 1 0 3 2
Hydrogeological Aquifer
1 1 0 2 1
maps classification
Groundwater level
Resource status 1 1 1 1 1
network
Pollution hazard
Quality risk 1 1 1 1 1
assessment
Numerical models Management 0 1 0 2 1
Technical Quality monitoring
Pollution 1 1 2 2 1
network
Permits / water
Large/small users 1 1 1 1 1
rights
Reversing GW
Closure/constraints 0 0 0 0 1
abstraction
Preventing GW ALARM/ALERT
0 0 0 0 1
abstraction aquifers
Sanctioning illegal
Penalties 0 0 0 0 0
drilling
Water use
Resource charge 1 1 1 1 1
charges
Controls on
Land use controls 0 0 0 1 0
pollution
Incentive for
Legal/ Pollution charges 0 0 0 0 1
pollution prevention
Institutional
Govt Agency as Cross-sectoral
1 1 1 1 1
―GWR Guardian‖ powers
Community
Mobilizing
aquifer 1 1 0 0 1
communities
management
Coordination with Water savings /
0 0 0 0 0
agriculture pollution control
Urban/industrial Conserve / protect
Cross-sectional 0 0 0 1 0
planning GWR
Compensation for Land-use
0 0 0 0 0
GW protection constraints
Public Control exploitation
1 0 0 0 0
participation / pollution
Operational
GW management Measures and
0 0 0 0 0
action plan instruments
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Notes: 0 = non-existent, 1= incipient, 2 = fair, and 3 = excellent. ID GWR = characterization of groundwater resources.
6.2. The need for a paradigm shift
Despite attempts to reform the water sector, together with the development of an Integrated Water
Resources Management Strategy and Water Efficiency Plan (MoWI 2009c), both water sector
professionals and the public still do not adequately understand the association between surface and
groundwater. This must change, and in the first instance change must come from within the sector.
This means that mandate problems must be acknowledged, addressed, and fixed. Without doing so, any
attempts at restoring a balance between the policy-making, regulating ministry on the one hand, and the
implementing agencies on the other—WRMA for resources management, and WASREB, the WSBs and
WSPs for water supply—will fail. This is of critical importance in respect to data provision and handling.
The current lack of a transparent, accessible, coherent database makes water resources management of
any type—and groundwater resources in particular—simply impossible.
Once internal problems have been rectified, similar ―bridge-building‖ initiatives with other sector players—
notably NEMA, Health and Sanitation, Agriculture, Lands and the natural resource managers (KFS and
KWS)—must be initiated.
Secondly, the WRMA must be given the tools it needs to properly manage the groundwater resources it is
responsible for. At present, WRMA does not have the staff, technical, or financial resources to manage
aquifers individually. Furthermore, the current structure of the agency does not lend itself to individual
aquifer management, though this could be changed relatively easily. The Stakeholder Workshop
organized under this assignment was universally of the view that any ―aquifer management organization‖
8
should be maintained within the existing WRMA structure, for a variety of practical reasons. This will
require strengthening existing policies and WRMA’s capacity.
Finally, a recognition must emerge that groundwater resources are not amenable to centralized regulation
and management. Furthermore, without local participation by both groundwater users and other
stakeholders, any management measures are likely to fail. Aquifers should be managed at the aquifer
scale, with the caveat that transcatchment and transboundary aquifers need an overarching consultative
framework.
This concluding section describes the development of a national groundwater management strategy and
9
a pilot groundwater management plan. These are ―no-regrets‖ measures that should be implemented
as part of ordinary IWRM, and not necessarily as explicit climate change adaptation measures—although
they will help build climate change resilience. The proposed strategy would provide a starting point to
discuss and develop the nature and role of aquifer management organizations, their position within the
WRMA structure, and powers that might be vested in them.
8
Alternative structures could be established, but would require new legislation, with the delays that this would entail. The
delegation of some of WRMA’s powers to an aquifer management organization could be made by the Minister for Water
under §110 (2) (a), if the groundwater management role cannot be hosted within WRMA.
9
According to the IPCC, ―no regrets‖ measures are measures that would generate net social and/or economic benefits
whether or not climate change occurs (Danilenko et al. 2010).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6.3. IWRM and conjunctive use
Focal points in setting up a groundwater management strategy are the IWRM approach and conjunctive
use. Kenya has spent five years developing its Integrated Water Resources Management and Water
Efficiency Plan (GoK 2009c), after a broad stakeholder consultation process, and it should be
implemented as soon as is practicable. The NWRMS (GoK 2007a) recognizes that the ―… IWRM& WE
Plan as a national priority with obligations for participation and empowerment of stakeholders and
decentralized management at the lowest appropriate level.‖ Despite its undeniably high anticipated cost,
the plan’s overarching management approach to water management across all sectors will yield higher
dividends in terms of the greater availability of water per person.
IWRM explicitly requires the integration of groundwater and surface water processes, and the IWRM &
WE Plan does so. The principal activities in respect of groundwater in the plan are: (a) to improve
monitoring and data collection networks; (b) to identify potential sites and aquifers for artificial
groundwater recharge (MAR); (c) to map strategic aquifers and conjunctive water uses; (d) to prepare
project designs for aquifer exploitation; (e) to harvest aquifers to increase supply from groundwater; and
(f) to identify GCAs.
Conjunctive use is the planned use of both surface and groundwater to meet water demand. Conjunctive
use does not necessarily mean that both waters are used simultaneously; indeed, the seasonal nature of
surface water and the typically large storage capacities of groundwater systems often make it more
logical to use surface water during flood periods and groundwater in dry periods. A properly managed
conjunctive use scheme maximizes available water resources, minimizes costs, and minimizes water
scarcity in a water supply system.
A number of Kenyan towns and cities (such as Nairobi, Nakuru, and Machakos) operate conjunctive use
schemes, though sometimes as a coping strategy and not as a planned approach to meeting water
demand. Current construction projects that will create planned conjunctive use schemes include the
Kiserian Dam (5.3 MLD), which will supplement existing groundwater supplies to Kiserian, Ongata
Rongai, and Ngong Town. The private commercial irrigation sector—for example, in the Naivasha and
North West Mt. Kenya areas—often uses surface and groundwater conjunctively.
The key to effective conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater resources is more a
question of appropriate capacity building, efficient organization, and better information sharing and
communication. It also requires that groundwater and surface water are managed as a single entity,
rather than as two, effectively separate, subsectors.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6.4. Groundwater management framework
6.4.1 Framework approach
No Kenyan aquifer is at present managed by a plan, formal or otherwise, and it is evident that some form
of groundwater management process is needed for any of the CSAs, all of which face risks that can be
mitigated by a groundwater planning process. This is also true for many of the other aquifers, of which
Naivasha and Nakuru/Rongai are obvious examples. A framework for measured and logical groundwater
resources management is shown in Figure 6.
This process must take place at the aquifer level, possibly through the subordinated management of
aquifers by some form of aquifer management organization, and it stimulates the appropriate policy and
regulatory framework to emerge. It would be hosted at the CMS or, more appropriately, at the SCMP
level (particularly for smaller aquifers). The precise management vehicle would be developed in an
aquifer management plan such as that proposed for the South Coast aquifers below.
Not all the groundwater management tools (policy/legislation, technical capacity, and financing
frameworks) are currently in place in Kenya. More accurately, some sectoral realignment would be
required for the appropriate management and technical conditions to be met. In addition to these
measures, the water sector and other stakeholders must recognize that (a) groundwater should be
protected; (b) groundwater quality should be conserved; (c) groundwater and surface water are parts of a
single resource; (d) groundwater protection will not work without proper land use planning; and (e) water
users must understand the need for groundwater protection.
Figure 6. A logical groundwater management framework
Current situation: Desired situation:
ï‚· Hydrogeology ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ ï€ïƒ¨ ï‚· Strategic targets
ï‚· Socioeconomic ï‚· IWRMS & WE Plan
conditions ïƒ§ï€ ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ï€ ï‚· MDGs and Vision 2030
ï‚· Operational ï‚· Resource sustainability
 
Instruments: Measures: Management actions:
 Policy changes   Water quality   GW management plans
ï‚· Regulatory provisions ï‚· Supply management ï‚· Planned conjunctive use
ï‚· Stakeholder ï‚· Demand management ï‚· CC adaptation
participation
Once these basic precepts are recognized, then developing an aquifer management plan is relatively
straightforward. The GWMATE strategic overview on groundwater governance (GWMATE 2009) presents
a pragmatic and rational approach to aquifer management planning (Figure 7).
65
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
The framework can be applied at the national as well as local levels, though most of the management
instruments are broadly similar. In the section below, a first attempt is made to apply the framework for
Kenya, taking into account Kenyan conditions.
The framework embraces an approach that is truly multisectoral. It takes into account the views and
interests of all the key stakeholders, including the public and water users. Ideally, it should be compiled
by a workshop or in a similar environment. In developing a draft approach to a strategy (see below), we
have taken into account the findings of this study as well as the dialogue and views expressed in the
Kenya Groundwater Governance Workshop conducted on September 2, 2010. The framework reflects
the interpretation of the consultant team and serves as a basis to be considered and amended in a future
workshop or other appropriate forum.
Figure 7. Pragmatic approaches to aquifer management planning
Source: GWMATE SO1 2009.
6.4.2 Kenya national groundwater management strategy
Section 2 of this report considered the technical dimension of groundwater protection in Kenya. Section 3
assessed the governance framework currently in place in Kenya, and proposed measures to improve it in
66
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
the light of increasing threats to groundwater. These sections inform our approach to the proposed
groundwater management strategy in Figure 8.
Key stakeholders for further development of the framework are the MoWI (with WRMA,
WASREB/WSBs/WSPs, NWCPC, KEWI); cross-sectoral linkages (MoH, MoA, MEMR, MoL, MoNMD,
MoRDA, KFS, KWS); and linkages to UN organizations, multilateral/bilateral partners, and
regional/national CSOs (KEPSA, KEWASNET, KSFR). The strategy would be overseen by the MoWI
through its sector agencies, with the technical water resources management element overseen by WRMA
and the water services side overseen by WASREB. The ministry would create the linkages between
cross-sectoral stakeholders at the national/ministerial level, and subordinate MoWI agencies would carry
this down the water management hierarchy to regional and local levels.
Figure 8. Proposed national management framework
GOVERNANCE
1. ASSESSMENT OF RESOURCE SETTING
PROVISIONS
STATE OF HYDROGEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE STATE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC KNOWLEDGE
ï‚· Aquifer characterization: incipient ï‚· Groundwater use and user profiles: incipient
ï‚· Land-use / groundwater interface: incipient ï‚· Pollution drivers: non-existent / incipient
ï‚· Pollution vulnerabilities: non-existent
ï‚· Halocline transgression vulnerability: incipient
ï‚· Over-abstraction vulnerability: incipient
Technical
Capacity and 2. IDENTIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES
Knowledge
SUPPLY-SIDE MEASURES DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES QUALITY PROTECTION MEASURES
ï‚· Conjunctive use ï‚· Recycle/reuse wastewater ï‚· Aquifer protection measures (TPZs; TOT
ï‚· Managed aquifer recharge ï‚· Distribution management (NRW, UFW) zones)
 Cross-catchment transfers  Water-use efficiency  ―Polluter pays‖ controls on pollution
ï‚· Alternative sources ï‚· Rainwater harvesting & use ï‚· Assess GW vulnerability to CC
… and others  Public education and sensitisation
3. MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS
MACRO-POLICY ADJUSTMENTS REGULATIONS STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION
 Land-GW interface understood (politicians,  Enforce Rules 2007 (permits, charges)  Define aquifer ―management areas‖
planners & water users) ï‚· Develop a working & practical database ï‚· Define boundaries of authority with respect
Institutional, ï‚· Policy for groundwater protection in place ï‚· Develop WRUA, CAAC or aquifer to WRUA, CAAC or aquifer management
Legal & ï‚· Over-arching CC policy in place management organisation management organisation and WRMA
Organisational ï‚· Improved monitoring network in place rules ï‚· Define WRUA, CAAC or aquifer
Framework  Develop economic instruments : – management organisation powers
o Tradeable permits ï‚· Ensure financial sustainability
o Pro-poor subsidies/support ï‚· Define WRUA, CAAC or aquifer
o … and others management organisation composition
(gender, marginalised, poor)
4. IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN
Institutional Operational Support and monitoring
Capacity & ï‚· Draw up implementation plan (duration, sector roles etc) ï‚· Secure financing to support management interventions (intra- and
Stakeholder ï‚· Mobilise National/Regional-level stakeholder partnerships cross-sectoral)
Mobilisation ï‚· Establish monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework
= Devolve aquifer management planning to appropriate local level
Once revisions have been made to the relevant institutions and the appropriate capacity vested in the
WRMA and CAACs, a national groundwater strategy for Kenya should be developed as a matter of haste.
It must incorporate and build upon the initiatives proposed by the NCCRS and IWRM & WE Plan, and
must include a component on groundwater’s vulnerability to climate change.
6.4.3 Pilot groundwater management plan for the South coast aquifers
Once the development of the national groundwater protection strategy is well advanced, a pilot South
Coast Groundwater Management Plan should be initiated, customized to the issues in this region (Figure
9). This area was selected for a number of reasons:
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
ï‚· It hosts the Tiwi Aquifer, which is not accurately defined (geographic extent, flow model, etc). The
Tiwi is a major aquifer that is considered by the WRMA to be in an ―Alert‖ state (WRMA 2007).
ï‚· It is reasonably easy to define, comprising the Magarini Sands, the Pleistocene Kilindini sands and
coral limestones, and alluvium. Its eastern boundary is the oceanic front and its western boundary is
the contact with the much older low permeability Jurassic and Permo-Triassic rocks.
ï‚· Groundwater is a particularly important resource in the area; threats to it have been defined (sand
harvesting; unregulated wastewater disposal; future growth in abstraction).
ï‚· It is under specific development pressures that may give rise to these threats (the proposed South
Coast Resort City envisioned in V2010).
ï‚· Further socioeconomic development of this area would be better guided by a plan that protects
groundwater than continuing with the current ad hoc, reactive approach.
ï‚· It has easily identified local stakeholders who already participate in the planning processes.
Figure 9. Preliminary management framework for the South Coast aquifers
GOVERNANCE
1. ASSESSMENT OF RESOURCE SETTING
PROVISIONS
STATE OF HYDROGEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE STATE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC KNOWLEDGE
ï‚· Basic knowledge reasonable, Tiwi aquifer better defined than the ï‚· GW not represented in local development plan; Tiwi aquifer at least is
rest under-utilised, others unknown
ï‚· Sedimentary aquifers (sediments; coral limestones) ï‚· Tourism & domestic growth drivers
ï‚· Preliminary hydraulic data available ï‚· GW in strategic planning weak (S. Coast Resort City)
ï‚· Principal risks to GW identified ï‚· Human resource & institutional constraints (poor enforcement of
Technical existing Rules)
Capacity and
Knowledge 2. IDENTIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES
SUPPLY-SIDE MEASURES DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES QUALITY PROTECTION MEASURES
ï‚· Recharge enhancement / MAR ï‚· User awareness ï‚· GW protection zones
ï‚· Conjunctive use management ï‚· Water use efficiency planning ï‚· Pollution mitigation strategy
ï‚· Rainwater harvesting ï‚· Improved drilling capacity ï‚· Risk assessment-based solutions
ï‚· Technology development ï‚· Rural electrification ï‚· Assess GW vulnerability to CC
3. MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS
Institutional, MACRO-POLICY ADJUSTMENTS REGULATIONS STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION
Legal & ï‚· Integrate GW in land-use planning ï‚· Management plans for priority areas ï‚· Capacity building
Organisational ï‚· Implement PPG ï‚· Implement new legal framework ï‚· Firm up private sector roles
Framework
ï‚· Prioritise target areas ï‚· Expand monitoring network ï‚· Create linkages with other local institutions
ï‚· WQ concerns ï‚· Implement CoPs ï‚· Develop shared information base
4. IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN (ROLL OUT TO WRMA REGIONS)
Operational Support and monitoring
ï‚· WRMA/CACC formalise stakeholder engagement and cooperation at Sub-regional level ï‚· Secure financing to support management
Institutional ï‚· Regulatory authorities (WRMA/CAAC and Lands) are empowered and capacities built interventions (intra- and cross-sectoral)
Capacity & ï‚· Hydro censuses are conducted in all aquifers and water users are sensitised ï‚· Establish monitoring, evaluation and
Stakeholder ï‚· WRM Rules are enforced (water permits, wastewater discharge permits, water charges) reporting framework
Mobilisation ï‚· Monitoring systems are expanded and rationalised (water levels, water quality, water charges)
ï‚· Aquifers are fully characterised, their vulnerabilities assessed
ï‚· Land use plans that include groundwater protection are developed
ï‚· Technical data are archived and shared as needed
ï‚· Information is made available to the public
Further elaboration of this framework should be done in close consultation with all stakeholders, including
WRMA SRO Mombasa and Athi CAAC, CWSB/KWASCO, KCC, cross-sectoral partners (MoH, MoL,
MEMR, MoA), local government, tourism, planning and national development (KWS, KFS), and local
stakeholders (SCRA, MCTA, SCHA, Base Titanium, and KISCOL).
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6.5. Concluding recommendations
The current status of groundwater management requires a broad array of linked measures to enhance its
effectiveness. These measures relate to most of the topics discussed in the previous sections and
include:
ï‚· Amending and streamlining sectoral and cross-sectoral policies
ï‚· Streamlining legislation and regulations
ï‚· Clarifying institutional mandates
ï‚· Aspects relating to rights and responsibilities
ï‚· Aspects relating to knowledge and capacity
ï‚· Information sharing
ï‚· Financial aspects
ï‚· Groundwater management strategy / local groundwater management plan.
Addressing the problems affecting groundwater does not require additional or new laws, except in respect
of an overarching policy for climate change. It requires action on key recommendations and policy
objectives that have been made in policy statements over the years and remain unattained.
Key among these is the development of groundwater management frameworks—for the national level,
the catchment level, and/or specific aquifers (such as the CSAs)—to create a functioning mechanism for
coordination of actions relating to groundwater across diverse sectors that affect the management of
groundwater, including land, environment, and water resources.
Second, it will be necessary to give priority to groundwater management in the activities and programs of
groundwater management institutions. This requires providing the resources—human, technical, and
administrative—necessary to discharge their mandates effectively.
Third, action is needed to enforce the rules regarding the requirement for authorizations, permits, and
water charges, and to improve compliance. Such action would need to target influential individuals and
strategic public sector institutions, which have operated under a framework of impunity in regard to
groundwater abstraction. Success depends therefore principally on political will and commitment, since
the existing legal framework has the basic elements required to manage groundwater sustainably. If the
political will is present, the institutions mandated to manage groundwater resources would be provided
with the technical and managerial capacity they require to succeed.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
6.5.1 Opportunities offered by the National Water Master Plan update
JICA has undertaken to support the updating of the 1992/98 National Water Master Plan, which offers
opportunities to strengthen groundwater management. Some of the topics that have arisen from the
nd
workshop held on 2 September 2, 2010 for inclusion in the NWMP are:
ï‚· Develop the National Groundwater Management Strategy
ï‚· Pilot the groundwater management plan for the South Coast area
ï‚· Draw up a list of priority aquifers for which hydrogeological mapping
ï‚· Include aquifers for which water allocation plans are urgently required
ï‚· Select an aquifer and develop and conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment
ï‚· Use the NWMP to educate and sensitize water users and the public of the vital role that WRMA has
to play in IWRM, and include capacity-building processes for WRMA technical staff and the CAACs.
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
7. ANNEX 1: STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS
Participant’s name Organization Title Duty Station
F.G. Muthani Alphaglobe Hydrogeologist Nakuru
Mike Lane Aquasearch Limited Case study Nairobi
Author/Hydrogeologist
Chris Ochieng AWSB ATTO Nairobi
Rose Nyaga AWSB Ag. CEO Nairobi
Faith Wanyo Catholic Diocese of Nakuru Relations Officer Nakuru
Linus Njogholo CWSB (MSA) Hydrogeologist Mombasa
Peter Munyoki David and Shirtliff Borehole Manager Nairobi
K.P. Bhalla DSS MD Nairobi
C.M. Gicheruh Earth Water Limited Hydrologeologist Nairobi
F.M. Muiruru Indepth Water Driller Nairobi
Daniel Mugambi Institute of Surveyors of Ag. CEO Nairobi
Kenya
Mercy Mwikali KARA/KEWASNET Program Assistant Nairobi
Simon Mbugua Kiambu Water TM Kiambu
Mwazimuye Chigumba Kimawaje Managing Director Kilifi
Francis Wadegu Kwaho Project Officer Nairobi
Ajay Shah KWIA Borehole Manager Nairobi
Felix Kibet Tomno Limuru Water and Sewerage Water Inspector Limuru
Corp.
Kimani Muthoni LWSC P.A. Limuru
Johnson Randu Malindi Water and Sewerage Managing Director Malindi
Corp.
Kennedy Mwachata Manken Geo Hydrogeologist Mombasa
Millicent Odiyambo MCTA CEO Mombasa
Wafula Mutoro Ministry of Agriculture Agricultural Engineer Nairobi
Benjamin Kai MSA Water HOF Mombasa
Alex Mwangolo MWI DD/FM Nairobi
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Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Participant’s name Organization Title Duty Station
Dymphina Adhiambo MW&I Secretariat Nairobi
Eunice Mugera MW&I SSG Nairobi
Fred Mwango MWI Head, Transboundary Nairobi
Waters
J.R. Nyorwa MWI DWR Nairobi
Musembi Munyow MWI Geologist Nairobi
Henry Kamuugo MW&I DD/DM Nairobi
Kelen Mwangi MW&I DD/QP Nairobi
Margaret Musuya MW&I Secretariat Nairobi
Augustine Omwamba NWCPC Geologist Nairobi
James Njeri NWCPC P.S. Geologist Nairobi
S.K. Nduggu NWSB ADO Gamssa
Anne Mwangi Oloolaiser WSC Managing Director Kiserian
Willie Kimani Rugwasco Technologist Ryiru
E. Dindi Self Self Nairobi
Anuj Rajani Sparr Drilling Managing Director Nairobi
R.M. Musyimi TANATHI MRD Kitui
Albert Mumma The World Bank Group Case study Author Nairobi
Andreas Rohde The World Bank Group Engineer Nairobi
Rafik Hirji The World Bank Group Snr Water Resources Washington D.C.
Specialist/ Project Team
Leader
Dan Glage UN Snr. Lecturer Nairobi
Robert Gabulia Waseb CEO Nairobi
A.M. Nzyuko WRMA, Athii RM Machakos
B.K. Ngoryse WRMA, Athii RGWO Machakos
Sam Wangombe WRMA – ENNCA GWO Nanyoki
Tom Nkubitu WRMA – ENNCA GWO Nanyoki
Annette Muli WRMA Records Nairobi
D. Olum WRMA CEO Nairobi
72
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
Participant’s name Organization Title Duty Station
Domihlah Nzioka WRMA Secretary Nairobi
Francis Kimotho WRMA SRM-MSA MSA
G. Mwangi WRMA Driver Nairobi
Henry Njugune WRMA RCO Nairobi
J.M. Wachira WRMA Driver Nairobi
J.M. Kinywe WRMA IM Nairobi
James Karanja WRMA Driver Embu
Joseph Nthanga WRMA Driver Machakos
Mwaura Murigu WRMA EO Nairobi
P.K. Supeyo WRMA GWO Nairobi
Pascal Nzau WRMA WRE Kiambu
Francis Gachuga WRMA, Tana RTM, Tana Embu
Joseph Munyola WRMA, Tana RWGO Embu
Source: Minutes of Stakeholder Workshop on the Kenya Groundwater Governance Case Study, Held September 2, 2010, Nairobi
Kenya.
73
Kenya, Groundwater Governance case study
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9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
In the course of this project we reviewed a large number of reports, World Bank and UN publications and
briefing papers, journal papers, and gray literature. Not all of these have been cited above. However,
some particularly important general documents are essential reading for anyone interested in the subjects
of groundwater management, conjunctive use, climate change, and their application and relevance to
Kenya.
The GWMATE publications—accessible at the World Bank website <>
(some of which are directly referenced above) are a valuable source of information, and have been
consulted as background reading for this study.
The various IPCC reports, over the past decade, catalogue the development of our understanding of
climate change, science, and policy development, and are a useful source of background information, if
somewhat voluminous.
The GWP, TEC, and TAC reports and briefing notes provide much valuable information on the evolution,
development, and implementation of IWRM as an approach to water resources management.
Various national geological organizations offer useful background material, including some of explicit
relevance to groundwater resource issues in Sub-Saharan Africa (BGS in particular, but also the USGS,
BGR and the South African DWAF and Water Research Commission). Sector websites (IAH, IWMI,
IGRAC etc) are also relevant.
In addition to these, the following provide useful context.
Bergkamp. G., B. Orlando, and I. Burton. 2003. Change. Adaptation of Water Management to Climate
Change. ISBN 2-8317-0702. Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK: IUCN.
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BGR/GEUS series on Policy Advice Groundwater – Resources and Management, implemented by
BGR for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). F.
Hetzel, V. Vaessen, T. Himmelsbach, W. Struckmeier, and K.G. Villholth, eds. Hannover,
Germany: Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources.
Dialogue on Water and Climate (DWC). 2003. Climate changes the water rules: How water managers can
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0321-8. The Dialogue on Water and Climate, The Netherlands.
nd
Environment Agency (UK). 1998. Policy and Practice for the Protection of Groundwater. (2 Edition).
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International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC). 2006. Managing Lakes and their Basins
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Osaka, Japan: ILEC.
Galloway, D.L., W.M. Alley, P.M. Barlow, T.E. Reilly, and P. Tucci. 2003. Evolving issues and practices in
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United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2006. Human Development Report 2006. Beyond
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Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a divided world. New York: UNDP.
87