The Water Resources Authority (WRA) on Saturday issued a 30-day ultimatum for landowners operating boreholes without permits.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, the WRA chairperson Donald Murgor directed land owners with boreholes and wells to register and pay for operation permits.
The Authority further warned that landowners who fail to renew operation permits risk a maximum fine of Ksh1 million or a jail term not exceeding 2 years.
“I want to tell Kenyans that by law you cannot extract water without any permit. Please get the permit from WRA,” stated Mohamed Shurie, WRA CEO.
While speaking on the matter, Shurie claimed Kenya was a water-scarce country and with competition for the scarce resource, there was a need for strict regulations
According to Donald Murgor, the WRA Chairman, those seeking to make the payments for the permits should do so through the eCitizen platform.
"WRA has established operational guidelines and procedures for permit applications, one is required to do an application online through the eCitizen. I am sure every Kenyan is aware that we have the eCitizen which is operational," stated WRA chairperson Donald Murgor.
Alternatively, people with expired permits or without valid ones were urged to visit designated WRA offices in their areas to renew their expired permits.
The directive comes after a spike in cases of non-compliance was reported, forcing the water agency to crack the whip on the lawbreakers.
WRA classifies boreholes into several categories, from category A to D, based on the type of water usage and its impact on the water resource.
According to WRA, Category A borehole refers to social water, while Category B and C cover private and economic boreholes.
Category D involves either international waters, two different catchment areas, or is of a large scale or complex nature.
