Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project
Improving water management and planning in Kenya
The Government of Kenya, via the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation (MWSI), received financing from the World Bank to implement the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, Phase 1 (KWSCRP-1).
The project is aimed at financing critical investments in the water sector in Kenya, promoting sustained investment, and building an enabling legal and institutional foundation. In June 2017, Zutari was appointed as implementation support consultant for a sub-component of KWSCRP-1, which addressed strengthening water resources management and planning.
The overall objective was to strengthen the capacity of the water resources authority (WRA) in terms of tools, skills, and infrastructure to deliver on its mandate for water resource management and regulation in the country. Zutari was the lead firm on the project, in association with five international and two local (Kenyan) firms.
The project scope included revitalising meteorological, surface water, and groundwater monitoring networks, implementing water data and information management systems, and developing climate-resilient basin management plans for the six main basins in Kenya. It involved the development of 260 sub-catchment management plans, the development of flood and water availability forecasting capabilities throughout the country, advice on water policy and legislation, and institutional strengthening through comprehensive training and capacity building.
The three-year project has been scheduled for completion in December 2020. To complete the great amount of work within this limited timeframe, an innovative training-of-trainers approach was adopted. Aimed at expediting the achievement of project deliverables, WRA seconded eight technical staff on a full-time basis to the Zutari consultancy team to be mentored and trained as future trainers in the institution. Three of the eight seconded staff are female, one of whom is the team leader.
Zutari will deem the project successful if, after completion, partnerships developed between the water resources authority and institutions such as universities, other agencies, and regional centres continue to strengthen.
“The training-of-trainers approach that we followed for this project, combined with the tools that were developed to assist with decision-making, and an online platform that maps and displays key data across Kenya, makes this a ground-breaking project that is set to change the lives of Kenyans,” says Verno Jonker, Zutari Design Director – Water Resources.
One of the early challenges was to assist the WRA in meeting its obligations under a 100-day rapid results initiative (RRI) set by the Kenya Cabinet Secretary for Water and Sanitation. Zutari delivered an online platform that maps and displays real-time water level data in rivers across Kenya. This platform will eventually provide input data for flood forecasting systems being established in the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and WRA.
In a recent World Bank review mission, the bank team commended WRA and Zutari on the significant progress that had been made.
“Zutari will deem the project successful if, after completion, partnerships developed between the water resources authority and institutions such as universities, other agencies, and regional centres continue to strengthen. We hope that the training-of-trainers approach we followed will continue to foster capacity-building for the client. We are also proud to assist the people of Kenya in reaching a number of United Nations goals for sustainable development,” says Hans Beuster, Zutari Team Leader.
Aimed at expediting the achievement of project deliverables
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
