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Ewaso Ng'iro River conservation efforts receive Sh10m boost
An aerial view of River Ewaso Ng’iro along the border of Samburu and Isiolo counties. Water levels in the river have declined over the years due to catchment degradation and unsustainable agricultural practices
The Dutch government has launched a partnership with community-based organisations in the Ewaso Ng'iro Basin to rehabilitate the degraded water source.
As part of the initiative, Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs) and Community Forest Associations (CFAs) from Laikipia, Isiolo, Meru and Nyandarua counties have received a grant of Sh10 million to strengthen their conservation efforts.
The cheque was handed over by Dutch Deputy Ambassador Jolis Van Bommel to officials of the Mount Kenya Ewaso Water Partnership (MKWEP) at the Laikipia Governor's office in Nanyuki town.
World Wildlife Fund
The money, channelled through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), will address governance and financial challenges that have rendered most of the 30 registered WRUAs in the region inactive.
WRUAs and CFAs are community-based legal entities recognised by the government to conserve water catchments and protect water sources.
However, they have not been able to adequately fulfil their mandates and, despite their existence, human activities such as encroachment and illegal water abstraction continue.
WRUA national chairperson Julius Kiriinya said the funds would, among other things, support the deployment of conservation scouts, noting that government agencies have failed to enforce existing laws enacted to protect water sources.
"We continue to witness massive encroachment on riparian areas in the Ewaso Ngíro Basin, such as farming, construction of structures and establishment of car garages, all of which have a negative impact on the flow of the river," Mr Kiriinya said.
The WRUA official noted that more than 100 rivers in the country have dried up in the last 40 years and if harmful human activities are not curbed and people continue to blame climate change, it will be a matter of time before the remaining 66 rivers also dry up.
In recent years, there has been massive lobbying for the conservation of the Ewaso Ng'iro River, the main source of water in semi-arid northern Kenya, which is fed by tributaries from the Mt Kenya and Aberdare forests.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story cited Sh30 million as the amount of money channelled to the organisation. It has been brought to our attention that the amount is Sh10m. The error is regretted.
