Year: 2016
Type: book
Abstract: Change of technology, there appears to be a cyclic use of technology over the years; this is demonstrated by use of reverting to technologies that were in use in between 1900s along 1920.The aspect of rain water harvesting as a main water supply was by 2005 recommended as the major way to solve the endemic water problems A major drawback in development of Kenya water sector, the history demonstrates is the time span between the realisation of the problem through an enquiry and the implementation.In some instances, decisions and recommendations have taken thirty years to implement.The review of Water Act 372 which was recommended in 1972 and implementation in 2002 is an example.This time lapse has resulted into wastage of resources when redoing the studies to establish similar initial findings which are still applicableIn the efforts to find the most sufficient, capable and dependable water undertaker, water supply docket including assets changed ownership through different departments in the process dabbed hand-over.The Railways under the Public Works Department was the first and handed over to the municipalities, the municipalities that found it difficult to manage water supplies handed over to Water Development Department in the then Ministry of Agriculture and later on Ministry of Water Development.The municipalities and the ministry were unable to effectively handle water and water companies took over the management on behalf.The author regrets that in spite of the inherent water resource limitations and the high degree of dependence of its economy and social wellbeing on water, Kenya has not adequately invested in infrastructures such as dams, pans, boreholes, pipelines and rainwater harvesting for many years.The weaknesses in the current institutional framework include poor organisational structures, lack of autonomy, and unclear definition of roles and responsibilities.There has been poor coordination between sector institutions leading to wastage of resources and duplication of efforts, lack of adequate skills to manage and operate water supplies.By the year 2005, the situation of water and sanitation services in Kenya was far from satisfactory.Service coverage and service level was inadequate both in urban and rural areas.Performance of existing water supply systems was poor.However, as a major effort, the water sector reform process started to reorganise the sector in order to achieve the development targets. Why of my interestThe growth of Kenya water sector has been phenomenal in the last one century.It is an evolution from the earliest water supply in Nairobi sourced from a small concrete dam within the Chiromo Estate and piped by gravitation towards the railway land in 1899 to over 1500 water supply systems managed by various agencies
Source: Tampere University Press eBooks
Author: Ezekiel Nyangeri Nyanchaga
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2423736770