Borehole Projects

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 advocates for access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene as the most basic human need for health and well-being. The need for water continues to rise as a result of rapid population growth, urbanisation, and an increasing need of the resource in the agriculture, industrials, and energy sectors.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a water source has to be within 1,000 metres of a home and its collection time should not exceed 30 minutes. This, therefore means that governments around the world should look for comprehensive last-mile solutions to make this a reality for all.

The WHO and UNICEF state that access to piped water remains low in Kenya, reaching about 33% of the population (60% in urban and 22% in rural areas). Additionally, as a water-scarce country, with one of the lowest freshwater replenishment rates in the world (647 m3 per capita, which is below the global benchmark of 1,000 m3 per capita) and with approximately 80% of its land mass classified as arid and semi-arid (ASAL), the country has uneven availability of water, coupled with variable rainfall that leads to frequent droughts and flooding.

The Water Resources Authority (WRA), established under Section 11 of the Water Act, 2016, put the number the boreholes in the country at 5,541 in 2019. With a population of approximately 53 million, about 28 million Kenyans lack access to safe water, and 41 million lack access to improved sanitation. The NSCDR lauds the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation for its push to work with private sector players in efforts to increase the country’s water storage capacity through the construction of 100 large dams across the country.

The National Steering Committee on Disaster Response recognizes the urgency of addressing this water challenge for the long term. The Committee has identified the repair of boreholes as an action of strategic impact to make water accessible in arid and semi-arid areas. The NSCDR is partnering with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to rehabilitate between 250 to 300 boreholes around the country which will give approximately 1 million Kenyans access to water.