Cabinet Secretaries Alice Wahome (Water) and Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury) are set to present proposals on the Water (Amendment) Bill 2023 to the Blue Economy Water and Irrigation Committee today.
This bill, sponsored by National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung’wa, has already been introduced in the House for its first reading.
The principal objective is to revise the Water Act of 2016, to pave the way for operationalising public-private partnerships in the water sector.
A significant clause proposes that authorities may engage in public-private partnership agreements, aiming to align the Water Act with the Public Private Partnerships Act, No. 14 of 2021.
In a pivotal move, the bill will mandate counties like Nairobi, which do not produce their own water, to purchase it.
Specifically, Nairobi is expected to buy water in bulk from the Athi Waterworks Development Agency.
Currently, Nairobi sources water from Ndakaini, Sasumua, Konoike, and Thika Dam, with none of these resources located within city limits.
