Water security takes centre stage as WWF-Kenya concludes 5-year catchment programme
By Francis Muli, June 18, 2026Nairobi hosted a High-Level Roundtable Dialogue on Basin Water Resource Committees (BWRCs), marking the closure of the five-year Catchment to Tap (C2T) Programme, a major initiative aimed at strengthening Kenya’s water governance and improving national water security systems.
The forum brought together government officials, development partners, counties, civil society, academia and the private sector, all aligned on the need to accelerate operationalisation of BWRCs under the Water Act to address long-standing coordination gaps in water management.
On matters of governance and sector leadership, Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Engineer Eric Mugaa, warned that persistent structural weaknesses continue to undermine reforms in the sector, citing financing gaps and political interference as key challenges.
“Inadequate financing and political interference remain major challenges,” he said, calling for stronger institutional safeguards to protect water governance systems.
In support of the broader policy direction, Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, noted that Kenya already has a strong legal and institutional framework for water governance, but emphasised that implementation remains the missing link.
“Kenya must now move from frameworks to implementation,” he said, urging stakeholders to translate policy commitments into tangible outcomes.
At the technical implementation level, Water Resources Authority (WRA) CEO Mohammed Shurie said delays in operationalising BWRCs were largely driven by legal gaps in the Water Act 2016, which created overlapping mandates within the sector.
He, however, noted progress on reforms, saying:
“Amendments to the Water Act have been submitted to Parliament,” he said, expressing optimism that the changes will streamline roles and accelerate implementation.
From a conservation and development perspective, World Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya (WWF-Kenya) CEO Jackson Kiplagat said water remains central to Kenya’s development agenda, stressing the importance of strengthened collaboration across institutions and sectors.
“Water security remains central to Kenya’s sustainable development agenda,” he said, noting that BWRCs are critical for integrated water resources management.
The five-year Catchment to Tap (C2T) Programme has supported Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), improved water access for households and livestock, strengthened citizen science initiatives for water quality monitoring, and enhanced community participation in water governance.
Stakeholders further observed that county governments remain critical to service delivery and must be fully integrated into basin-level planning systems to ensure sustainability and local ownership of water interventions.
They also agreed that BWRCs will play a central role in resolving water conflicts, improving allocation, and ensuring equitable access across river basins, particularly amid rising water scarcity pressures.
The dialogue concluded with a shared commitment among stakeholders to fast-track reforms, strengthen intergovernmental coordination, and fully operationalise BWRCs as Kenya advances toward more resilient and integrated water governance systems.