The prevention and containment of COVID-19 requires provision of adequate water supplies to enable hygienic practices including hand washing. Consequently, the Kenyan Government has declared water supply a public health necessity and directed public Water Services Providers (WSPs) to ensure uninterrupted supply to all consumers. As the lockdown directed by the government continues, availability of water treatment chemicals could become a challenge if the supply chain is not kept running.
To assess how this is progressing, USAID’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) program has undertaken a rapid assessment of suppliers and WSPs to get a sense of the status of the water treatment chemicals supply chain in the country. The WSPs assessed included Thika Water and Sanitation Company (THIWASCO), Mathira Water and Sanitation Company and Nyeri Water and Sanitation Company (NYEWASCO), while the suppliers included Kel Chemicals in Thika, Pan Africa Chemicals and Aqua Treat in Nairobi