Turning Kenya's Water Utilities Green

Project Summary:

The objective of this grant is to support the Government of Kenya to mainstream green growth concepts into the Water and Sanitation Development Project and the national sanitation initiative. Kenya is facing critical water supply and sanitation challenges due to pollution, depletion of water resources, and ongoing drought. The Water and Sanitation Development Project (WSDP) was set up with World Bank financing to improve water supply and sanitation services by investing in water infrastructure. The national sanitation initiative focuses on improving key sanitation indicators, in particular by eliminating open defecation practices in rural communities and improving sanitation conditions in dense urban settlements. These two programs are designed to support the devolution process of water and sanitation service provisions. They are at the cornerstone of improving public health, environmental conditions and economic growth in strategic regions throughout Kenya.  

This KGGTF funded program will operate at the county and national levels to support both of these flagship projects. It will do this by providing advisory services and knowledge activities to support the application of green growth principles into the WSDP, and to mainstream city wide inclusive sanitation into the Government of Kenya’s national sanitation initiatives. The program will fund knowledge exchange activities, such as workshops, conferences and study tours to foster information sharing among institutions in Kenya and learn from real and practical experiences conducted in client countries and Korea.

This grant is linked to Lending ($300,000,000)

List of Activities:

1. Support the application of GG in the WSDP project
   1. Advisory services in development of assessments, work programs, and terms of reference for GG related activities 
   2. IUWM plans in two selected cities
2. Advisory services and knowledge exchange to support CWIS into GoK’s national sanitation initiatives
3. Dissemination and knowledge exchange of GG initiatives

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• 1.1. Assessment, recommendations and implementation plan with specific activities to be financed by the WASDP
• 1.2. Two cities with IUWM plans that includes diagnosis, recommendations for investments and policy changes and strategies in two cities – (workshops)

Output 2:

• In two cities rapid assessmet of sanitiation, (ii) CAPEX and OPEX costs of different configurations of onsite and sewerage solutions, and  assessment of greywater management and reuse

Output 3:

• One National conference on IUWM   
• One National conference on CWIS  
• One Study tour on GG related activities  
• One National conference to disseminate the results of the grant at the end of the project 
• Two BBL/BBB to disseminate grant results 

Outcomes:

• Improved efficiency:  Most water service providers in Kenya are relatively inefficient. Coverage data often provide an incomplete picture of the quality of water services. Actual connections to a network does not ensure quality service, owing to such things as intermittent service, low pressure, poor water quality. The collected wastewater is typically not treated and generates large environmental and public health externalities in the form of water pollution. The low levels of service typically result from a combination of inefficient water utilities, inadequate investments and poor integrated planning. There is also opportunities to improve under-performing utilities in operational and financial terms (e.g., non-revenue water, collection ratios, overstaffing, operating ratios, and profitability) through water sector reforms by adopting the right policies on tariffs, regulation, industry structure, and subsidies. The grant would promote good practices, approaches, and ICT initiatives to foster the adoption of non-revenue and energy efficiency programs and utility reform activities centered on improving efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.  
• Greater resilience: The grant would promote increased resilience in cities against towards climate variability and extreme weather events (i.e floods and droughts). Through the development of IUWM plans, the grant would assist WSPs incorporate a more holistic approach that considers strategic planning to (i) respond to droughts and floods without significantly compromising water supply and wastewater services; (ii) urban land management policies that restrict settlements in flood prone areas; (iiI) ecological landscaping design to increase water retention and runoff; and (iv) the interactions between solid waste and storm water with urban planning.  
• Increased competitiveness: At the heart of IUWM is the transformation of urban water bodies from environmental liabilities into urban assets for cities by improving water quality, reducing flood risk, restoring riparian habitats, and creating multi-functional areas along rivers that provide ecological habitat, public use, and a renewed emphasis on livable urban environments. Experience with World Bank projects indicates that cities that have embarked on water sensitive urban revitalization projects have experienced significant growth, as the population will come to place a higher value to the environmental amenities offered by water bodies.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• K-water
• Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT)
• The Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Kenya (MoW)
• The Ministry of Health of Kenya