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Among the changes the current constitution brought to the country is making water a right to all Kenyans and giving that responsibility to the Government.
Article 43 gives every person in Kenya the right to clean and safe water in adequate quantities and to reasonable standards of sanitation. The constitution assigned water supply and sanitation service provision to 47 counties.
The constitution gave rise to the Water Act, 2016, whose objective was to align water sector with devolution, the constitution’s primary objective.
Close water demand and supply gap
The Water Act, 2016 recognises that water functions are a shared responsibility between national and county governments, according to 2030 Water Resources Group, a public-private society that aims to close the gap between water demand and supply by 2030.
The constitution also gives priority to use of extracted water for domestic purposes over irrigation and other uses, 2030 Water Resources Group says. As a result of the Water Act, 2016, water institutions have been established and their roles and responsibilities defined.
