Isiolo water project boosts hygiene, livelihoods of villagers

The sweltering sun rays bounce off the black cotton soil as clouds of dust billow around Aukot village, about one kilometre from Ngaremara in Isiolo County.

A few scattered trees on the roadside help break heavy winds and a 50-metre walk on a dusty road takes you to an open field, where the scorching sun takes charge.

Here, a group of children, looking somewhat lively, engage in hide-and-seek games as others lie under a small acacia tree to hide from the heat. Scattered manyattas and an elevated steel tank can be seen nearly 300 metres away.

Pauline Ekeno, a mother of 10, is on her daily domestic chores while some of her children play outside the house. She quickly offers visitors a glass of clean water to quench their thirst but some of them appear hesitant to take a sip as they are not so sure where the water came from.

The 48-year-old mother says women in the village spend nearly half a day trekking to fetch muddy water from the neighbouring Buffalo Springs National Reserve because there is no other source of clean and safe water.

Children sleep hungry

On many occasions, she says, children sleep on empty stomachs as women arrive late in the evening.

When denied access to the park, villagers travel further to the Ewaso Nyiro River that separates Isiolo and Samburu counties, sometimes prompting conflicts with their Samburu neighbours.

Recent data from the National Drought Management Authority shows that 80 per cent of water sources such as boreholes and pans had dried up due to drought, increasing the distance to water sources to about 14km.

Limited access to resources and reduced pastures due to limited rainfall has exacerbated the situation as pastoralists on the move in search of water and pastures clash over resources.

“A number of women and girls have been attacked by jumbos and other park animals while fetching water in the reserve,” Ms Ekeno says, adding that several people in neighbouring villages have been killed by wildlife.

No bathing

The water shortage forces a majority of residents to go for almost a week without taking a bath as the available water is not enough for cooking, let alone for livestock.

Adjacent to Ms Ekeno’s home is Lawrence Pishilai’s tomato and onion farm that he irrigates from a seasonal stream 400 metres away.

Because the stream sometimes dries up, limiting available irrigation water, the 47-year-old farmer practises farming alongside pastoralism.

Coupled with pests and crop diseases and destruction of crops by wildlife, the venture has not been very lucrative for the father of eight, the only person practising farming in the village.

“I am very passionate about farming as an alternative source of income to pastoralism, which is no longer reliable due to persistent drought but water has been the biggest challenge,” Mr Pishilai tells Nation on his farm.

Relief to residents

But last week’s commissioning of a Sh13.5 million water supply station in the village has offered relief to residents. It will benefit more than 2,000 people in the area and neighbouring villages.

The project, funded by Nestlé in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society, involves an equipped community borehole, an elevated steel tank and two solar-powered water kiosks, one of them located near Ms Ekeno’s house.

“We can now bathe regularly and take clean water to stay safe from diseases. The whole day of trekking in search of water is now history,” an elated Ms Ekeno said during the project’s commissioning.

Elder Michael Lotome is happy that they will have clean water for domestic and livestock use and believes the resource will encourage residents to start farming.

For Mr Pishilai, the project is a major boost for him as he seeks to capitalise on it to increase his productivity and help him become one of the leading local suppliers of farm produce.

“This is a huge relief for me. If assisted with pipes to supply water to my farm, I can increase my productivity and sell products as far away as Marsabit County,” the farmer says, appealing for help from the county government.

Connect more to water

Martin Lerai Edong’a, a youth leader, asked Governor Mohamed Kuti’s administration to help supply water to neighbouring villages so that more people can benefit.

“Cases of resource-based conflicts will also reduce as the majority of people will pick up farming to supplement pastoralism,” he said.

Residents have agreed to contribute Sh100 monthly to maintain the water kiosks.

Before the project was completed, Nestlé undertook capacity building and community training sessions on best hygiene and sanitation practices.

“Almost every resident has built a pit latrine using locally available materials,” said Stephen Lokeyo, a local leader.

Nestlé Kenya’s Managing Director Ng’entu Njeru reiterated that the firm is committed to building resilience in communities where the need for clean water and sanitation is dire.

He challenged residents to venture into farming to beat food insecurity and cushion themselves against the biting effects of drought such as emaciation and deaths of livestock.

Fight diseases

Kenya Red Cross secretary-general Asha Mohammed said access to clean water will make the community less susceptible to diseases and help them mitigate the harsh effects of dry spells.

“Our women and girls will no longer be at risk of being attacked while walking for several kilometres in search of water and will use the time for other meaningful activities,” Dr Mohammed said.

Isiolo County Water executive Josphine Eregai said Dr Kuti’s administration is committed to ensuring access to water by a majority of residents, especially in remote areas.

“We have sunk several boreholes across the county and we will continue enhancing access,” she said.

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