Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply And Sanitation Program

African Development Bank (AfDB)

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Abstract: Rapid urbanization in Kenya has been highly successful in supporting gross domestic product (GDP) growth,economic transformation,income,and employment creation. Towns have become the engines for spurring sustainable economic growth and social development. More so,following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010,the new 47 County Governments are now responsible for devolved services resulting in an increase in the urban population and it is projected that by 2030,more than half of the people in Kenya will be living in towns and cities,seeking jobs,housing,infrastructure,and other services. While vibrant cities are critical for the economic development of the country,it also poses a challenge to the water and sanitation sector,which is currently making efforts to cope with the rapid growth in demand and demographic changes. Despite increased government investments in the sector (from $5 million to $450 million in 10 years),access to water and sanitation services still remains low at 56% and 70% respectively; well below the Sustainable Development Growth (SDG) targets. This is partly due to rapid urbanization,population growth,and weak institutional capacity of the sector as well as negative impacts of climate change.