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Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation, Mr. Zachariah Njeru, EGH, was the chief guest at the launch of the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) Impact Report Edition No. 16 and their 5th Strategic Plan on Thursday.
The ceremony, held at the invitation of WASREB, was attended by representatives from various institutions, including development partners, the Council of Governors Water Committee, CEOs of the Council of Governors and Water Works Development Agencies, managing directors of Water Service Providers, County Executive Committee Members, and other stakeholders in water sector management.
In his speech, CS Njeru praised WASREB for its dedication to annually tracking and reporting the sector’s development. He noted that the publication of the Impact Report coincided with the launch of WASREB’s 5th Strategic Plan and four new regulatory tools. He commended these efforts for enhancing accountability and promoting efficiency and transparency in the Water and Sanitation sector.
CS Njeru highlighted the significant challenge of ensuring universal access to water and sanitation, underscoring that the Bill of Rights entitles every citizen to safe water and adequate sanitation. He emphasized the role of both national and county governments in fulfilling this right and noted that water and sanitation are critical components of the global agenda to eradicate poverty, combat inequality and injustice, and address climate change.
The Impact Report Edition No. 16, covering the period 2022/2023, showed an improvement in water coverage, which rose from 62% to 65% in regulated areas. However, sewerage coverage remained stagnant at 16%. CS Njeru pointed out the sector’s challenges in achieving cost recovery and reducing losses, noting that the sector has relied on subsidies for the third consecutive year.
He called on stakeholders to support the Ministry in addressing Non-Revenue Water, which has only marginally improved from 45% to 43%, still far from the sector target of 15% by 2030. The losses represent a potential monetary loss of over KShs. 10.2 billion annually and burden consumers with high bills. The Ministry’s initiative, ‘Operation Lipa Maji, Lipa Maji,’ in conjunction with WASREB, continues to address this issue.
With six years remaining to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2030 targets, CS Njeru outlined the aim of achieving an annual increase of two percentage points in water coverage and three and a half points in sewerage coverage, connecting 200,000 households to water and 350,000 households to sewerage annually, along with a one percentage point increase in sanitation coverage.
He acknowledged the significant resources required to meet these goals and emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to working with development partners to close the financing gap. CS Njeru encouraged utilities to strive for self-sufficiency by enhancing technical and financial efficiency, making them creditworthy and eligible for blended financing. He urged County Governments to support utilities in reviewing tariffs while ensuring accountability for resources.
CS Njeru praised the Water Service Providers (WSPs) demonstrating admirable performance, expressing optimism for continued improvement. He recognized their efforts in ensuring water access for all as he handed out awards to top-performing WSPs.
The CS was accompanied by Water Secretary Eng. SAO Alima, representing Principal Secretary for Water and Sanitation Mr. Julius Korir, CBS, and was received by WASREB and Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Julius Itunga.
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