The government has now reversed an earlier move to increase water prices across the country with a huge margin starting this December.
Through a review released on Thursday, November 2, President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration has cutwater charges for both domestic and commercial use. The Ministry of water had planned to increase water prices from Ksh50 cents per unit to Ksh5 per unit. That could have seen consumers pay an extra Ksh5 for every unit burdening them more further.
Under the latest review, water for domestic use, that is water used in homes, will go down to Ksh2 from Ksh5 per unit. The water used for irrigation will now cost ksh1 per unit, which is a huge relief for consumers.
Under the revised tariffs, the Water Resources Authority (WRA) is expected to collect over Ksh4 billion annually which will go towards enforcement of water abstraction rules.
Justifying the move to lower the prices, John Kinyanjui, a senior manager in WRA, noted that the ministry reviewed downwards the prices after a series of consultations with different stakeholders.
“The ministry has agreed to review the water tariffs from the proposed Ksh 5 to Ksh 2 and Ksh 1 for domestic and irrigation users consecutively,” he stated.
He spoke during a forum with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) where he launched the Catchment to Tap (C2T) programme that seeks to address water security in catchment areas.
“We have in the past recorded conflicts due to water shortage as the country is classified as a water-stretched country and we should conserve the catchment areas,” he noted.
The new programme is also seeks t protect water sources in the country and set rules to prevent pollution in different areas.
“Last year we had a rise in water levels in lakes while now several counties are suffering from drought and this programme will address challenges in the water towers,” he said.
They added, “We are working with other stakeholders mainly in water catchment areas and we are keen on water, sanitation, and hygiene."
This review comes as Kenyans continue to wait on the task force recommendation constituted by President Uhuru to review downwards the price of electricity before the end of this year.
