Residents from Nairobi and three other counties will enjoy free flow of water if a new project proposed by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is seen to fruition.
In a statement on Thursday, the authority revealed that it entered into a deal with the Water Resources Authority (WRA) to enhance water security in the Upper Athi River Catchment Area.
The project, valued at Ksh1.5 billion (USD10 million), will be financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which fashions itself as the world's largest climate fund dedicated to helping developing countries take climate action.
Principal Secretaries Festus K Ng'eno (Environment and Climate Change) and Julius Korir (Water and Sanitation) witnessed the agreement entered by the two authorities on Tuesday.
The project will be implemented in Nyandarua, Kiambu, Nairobi and Machakos Counties for a period of four (4) years. It is expected to benefit 4.9 million households, a majority of whom are in the Nairobi metropolis area.
"The agreement was signed by NEMA DG Mr. Mamo B. Mamo and WRA CEO Mr. Mohamed Shurie on behalf of their institutions," read the statement in part.
"The GCF financed project is a climate change adaptation intervention that seeks to enhance water supply in the four counties within the Athi River catchment by investing in distribution infrastructure and strengthening hydrological and meteorological information management, among other services."
Three months ago, Nairobi residents had complained of dry taps despite a heavy downpour across the city as a result of the El Nino phenomenon that kicked off in October 2023.
Several households were left with dry taps despite gallons of rainwater going to waste due to a lack of a proper plan to harvest the water.
The most impacted estates were Komarock, Umoja and Donholm. Vendors in the estates increased the water prices at the time.
After years of water shortage in the city, the Nairobi County leadership also fell out Murang'a County over the extension of water from Ndakaini Dam for city households.
The tunnel water wars kicked off in 2020 and raged on for the following two years.
