Plan launched to curb revenue leakages in water management

Principal Secretary in charge of Water and Sanitation Paul Rono said in order for the country to effectively manage the NRW to acceptable standards, there was a need to adopt practical measures.

“Our NRW is currently high at 45 percent and we have to bring it down by applying strategies which include speed and quality of repair once a leak has been detected, active leakage control mechanisms, asset management, and pressure management as both short term and long term measures,” said Rono.

Speaking during the launch, the PS termed the initiative as a step in the right direction noting Kenya now joins the few countries in Africa to adopt the standards.

He directed the various agencies in the Ministry to comply with the standards in order to bring down NRW to 5 percent within the next three years.

The Kenya Water Institute (KEWI), he noted, will now be tasked with strengthening the training programs for NRW and providing at least three certified staff to be employed by each of the 88 registered water service providers.

The Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) on its part will take charge and ensure implementation of the standards as well as come up with a working mechanism within three months.

“It is also expected to come up with a drastic review of equipment and technology to be used by the counties through smart meters,” he said.

To ensure utilization of bulk water, Water Regulatory Authority (WRA) is set to monitor the process within one year for compliance.

All the Water Services Providers (WSPs), the PS said, will be required to create NRW sections and deploy the best employees with high standards of integrity to manage the unit's affairs.

“There is an urgent need for all the WSPs to meet and implement the standards and operationalize in order to serve the citizens with water provision as outlined in the Constitution 2010 and Water Act 2016,” he added.

The PS at the same time lauded Meru and Nyeri Water companies for managing NRW.

The two counties are being supported by JICA by training the WSPs on the best practices to manage NRW.

Present during the event were Water Secretary SAO Alima, Secretary of Administration Stephen Kihara, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company CEO Nahashon Muguna, and heads of various agencies.