Understanding Factors and Actors to Achieve Sustainable Drinking Water Systems in Kitui County, Kenya

“Water and food security” is designated as one of five strategic priorities by Kenya’s Kitui County Government. Providing sustainable drinking water services in the area remains challenging despite progress on increasing access to water infrastructure.

This brief presents findings from a water audit undertaken in Kitui county and a ranking of factors for sustainable WASH systems based on priorities of 42 actors as shared during a forum in February 2018. One key finding is that despite the water audit showing significant challenges with functionality of water sources, actors are still focused on building new WASH infrastructure.

The survey will serve as a baseline to track whether actors change their thinking on the role of monitoring, maintenance, and private sector participation for sustaining rural water service delivery. The brief proposes areas for future consideration and research to help progressively deliver universal, reliable, and accessible water services to benefit Kitui County’s 1.2 million people.