1.9 Million Lives Set to Change: Kenya’s New Water and Sanitation Project Takes Off
A new initiative aimed at improving urban water and sanitation services across Kenya has been launched, targeting millions of residents in fast-growing towns and cities.
The Kenya National Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (NUWSSP), financed by a development bank, is expected to benefit approximately 1.4 million people through improved water supply and an additional 500,000 people through enhanced sanitation services.
The launch workshop, held in Nairobi from 8–10 April 2026, brought together officials from the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation and representatives from 13 county water agencies. The sessions focused on project management, fiduciary requirements, environmental safeguards, gender inclusion, monitoring and evaluation, and implementation procedures.
Speaking on behalf of the Bank’s Director General for East Africa, Lead Investments and Operations Officer Christopher Mutasa said the programme will target 21 towns across 16 counties.
He noted that the project aligns with Kenya’s development frameworks, including Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.
“This project demonstrates the Bank’s continued commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya’s development agenda,” Mr Mutasa said, adding that implementing agencies must strengthen coordination and ensure compliance with procedures to achieve timely results by 2029.
The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Water and Sanitation, Julius Korir, officially opened the workshop and described the Bank as a key development partner in the sector. He emphasised that effective implementation systems would be critical to the success of the programme.
According to Eng Samwel Alima, Water Secretary at the Ministry, the NUWSSP will significantly strengthen urban water infrastructure, improve service reliability, and support sustainable growth in Kenya’s rapidly expanding towns and cities.
The project is expected to increase water supply capacity by 33,600 cubic metres per day and expand wastewater treatment capacity by 19,300 cubic metres per day.
The programme is jointly supported by the Kenyan Government and the development bank, whose total investment in Kenya’s water sector stands at just over US$1 billion, representing around 27 per cent of its portfolio in the country.
