Questions/Answers

Brief summary of the Initiative Kenya has limited fresh water endowments has been classified as a chronically water scarce country in absolute and relative terms according to the National Water Master Plan, 2010. Machakos County is one of the 47 devolved governance structures created by the constitution of Kenya 2010. The county is a water scarce geographical area with only one permanent river and a few seasonal rivers. The seasonal rivers are unreliable sources of water due to scarce rainfall patterns of 600mm on average per annum. As an initiative to mitigate severe water scarcity, the County Government has since the year 2014 drilled and rehabilitated over 400 boreholes, and out of these 314 are already solar powered. The initiative of abstracting underground water has reduced the long distances covered by the citizens to access water from seasonal rivers, shallow wells and dams. The use of solar powering for borehole water has made it possible/ sustainable to provide water to the communities at no cost to them.

The objective is to provide free water to the poor and rural, vulnerable communities within Machakos County. The initiative targets to drill and equip 1,000 boreholes well distributed within the County. This will serve to alleviate significant water challenges that face the citizenry within the county. The outcome envisaged is to reduce water-born diseases, infant mortality, eliminate the need for school going children to fetch water, thereby reducing time allocated to their academic studies. Equally important, this initiative will serve to reduce the amount of time spent by women in search of clean water, and allow them time to engage in other income-generating activities (poverty reduction. Water for agriculture is also scarce and the initiative serves to offer communities better nutrition through the development of kitchen gardens for their families. The department has already achieved more than 50% of its target, in providing free, safe drinking water in every sub location of the County.

The Machakos County Solar Powered Borehole Project seeks to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six (6) - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The initiative fits with Category One (1) of the United Nations Public Service Awards: Reaching the poor and the most vulnerable through inclusive services and participation. The water projects are conceived with the beneficiaries’ participation. They thus hold the government accountable on the delivery of the services offered. These include feedback mechanisms allowing the community to report back to the county on the quantity and quality of water, as well as report any malfunctions and file complaints concerning public officers who fail to protect the rights of the citizenry.

Lives of the poor and vulnerable rural communities have improved with increased access to clean water and sanitation services. The project has sought to remove obstacles that hinder the poor and vulnerable from accessing quality and affordable water, such as long distances to water sources. This was done with the consideration of women and children who usually bear the burden of looking for water for household/domestic use. The initiative introduced a new approach to service delivery in which the people are empowered to claim “water as a basic right, and not a privilege” so as to derive the benefits of the devolved system of government in service delivery. It promotes participation and consultation of the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community among them women, children, the aged and the disabled to express their needs and demands during public participation forums that are organized at ward level, in partnership with their elected leaders (Member of County Assembly- MCA) The public is encouraged to take part in shaping responses or in delivering public services in an effort to promote achievement of SDG six among other goals. The fact that each water project has a local management committee ensures people take responsibility and ownership of the water sources and protect them for sustainability.

The water scarcity issue within the County is addressed by this initiative as follows: - The first issue this initiative resolves is the water availability. Most known water sources are in the form of surface water such as lakes, dams, rivers etc. These are rare in the county, and this initiative therefore seeks to tap into under-ground water aquifers in the form of boreholes. - The second significant issue this initiative seeks to address is that of access. Once water is made available, the county has a comprehensive reticulation program that will pipe water to homes, making clean water accessible to these vulnerable communities. - The initiative seeks to address the availability and access to clean water sustainably and with due regard to emerging climate change concerns.

The initiative has enabled the locals in the County to successfully farm both in and out of the rainy seasons, improving harvests and thus providing food security. It has used strategies that have increased access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene and provided better water management solutions to reduce risks of water-borne diseases and recreational accidents. In regards to education, our initiatives’ aim for providing a secure sustainable water source has helped the schools become equipped to provide education and children are to spend more time learning rather than focusing on health issues such as stomach pains or hunger. In respect to gender equality and opportunity; since the responsibility of collecting water mainly falls upon the women and children who spend long hours walking to collect water; our initiative has built sustainable water projects near homes and towns in various parts of the County. These water points provide easier access and help close the gender divide and thus creating more opportunities.

Kenya is a tropical country with fairly high sunshine exposure throughout the year. Therefore, the use of solar energy to power boreholes for communities to access safe water is in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six (6) which states: “Access to safe water and sanitation and sound management of freshwater ecosystems are essential to human health and to environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.” Machakos County Government’s policy is to provide free safe water to its citizens, so the strategy of solar powered boreholes is the best approach, in a way of eliminating the burden of electricity bills to the users.

The innovation of solar powered boreholes is not original. It is an adaptation from the use of renewable energy. The initiative, however, is an original for the County Government of Machakos, because it provides free water to the communities.

Resources used to implement this initiative are drawn across the board. Financially, the funding of these solar powered boreholes is from the County’s development budget. The human resources are partly the County staff especially when it comes to maintenance of the installations.

Yes

This initiative is adaptable to other contexts. Other counties have begun to prioritize solar powered boreholes as a sustainable solution for water scarce areas. Yes the initiative has been transferred to other contexts.

The initiative is sustainable in almost all contexts in the Kenyan landscape because on average, the country receives 8 hours a day of sunlight. In terms of sustainability, the average lifespan of solar panels is about 20 years, and this implies that unless the panels are vandalized, power supply is assured for the next 20 years. It therefore implies that repairs are only required in cases of breakdowns related to the pump or motor. Otherwise the project can run smoothly for over 15 years without power interruptions, holding all other factors constant. The poor in the community are the most affected when there are disruptions in water supply from boreholes due to unpaid electricity bills. Solar powered boreholes not only cut on the recurrent expenditure of electricity bills, they also operate during the day only, and thus minimize on water losses due to negligence by the attendants.

The durability of the solar panels is approximated to be about 20 years, on average the pumps we install come with a warranty of over 5 years, while the motor which is the most unpredictable in durability comes with a 1-year warranty. In essence, the installation in one borehole can serve the community smoothly for over 10 years, factoring minor servicing expenses, which in most cases entail repair of motors. As a result, we can conclude with some degree of confidence that the project is sustainable, and the cost of maintenance predictable, because the County needs only budget for minor repairs of motors, and replacements every financial year. After five years, for each borehole, the County budgets for possible replacement of the pumps, but when it comes to the solar power, this can serve for up to 20 years. Moreover, the County has excavated 280 earth dams and water pans to recharge boreholes, besides being supplementary sources of water.

Yes

The initiative is currently being formerly evaluated. This is by a continuous monitoring and inspection programme on all water projects developed by the government. This activity is led by technical staff including the sub county water officers, project managers and local committees.

The outcome is more households accessing water closer at draw points and small scale irrigation activities around the boreholes/ water points.

Indicators include: increased number of public institutions with boreholes, shorter queues and distances to water points, fewer cases of water borne diseases and increased small scale irrigation activities which have led to improved food security

The initiative has produced projects that are conceived with the beneficiaries’ participation. The members of public hold the government accountable on the delivery of water services. These include mechanisms allowing the community to provide feedback on the quantity and quality of water; reporting any malfunctions and file complaints concerning public officers who fail to protect the rights of the citizenry. The initiative has engaged many other actors from various institutions, civil society and the private sector. Below are some of the actors involved: Institutions Both public and private institutions have been incorporated in the development of the initiative. Public institutions, among them primary schools, secondary schools, youth polytechnics, churches, dispensaries among others provide land for borehole sites. In phase one of the initiative, 120 boreholes are located in public schools. Machakos Government has supplied 1,012 tanks of 10,000 liters each to schools for water storage from the boreholes. In areas where there’s no availability of underground water on public land, the department enters into memoranda with private land owners where hydro geological surveys are positive. The local community is empowered to participate in decisions concerning the siting of boreholes. Private Sector The department contracts private sector players to supply and deliver the materials used for borehole development. The Civil Society Civil society organizations have an input for this project in that they carry out social audit of projects and strengthen community and other networks for project evaluation. They also form part of the stakeholders that the government targets for conversations on the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP). The constitution of Kenya (2010) and the Civil Society Organization (CSOs) Act mandates the Civil Society and community groups to analyze the County Budget allocation and determine that the monies are deployed for useful community projects and that the government gets value for money. Our initiative has engaged more Civil Society Organizations in the preparation of both the CIDP and annual finance bills as a means to incorporate the views of the ordinary citizens in planning and project implementation. To this end we ensure communities participate in the provision of unskilled labor for the projects in their villages. Communities are also involved in the management of the projects and more so in determining the safety and security of the water infrastructure. They also investigate issues arising from the shared use of these water projects.

Key lessons learned. From this initiative we have acquired knowledge and experience which has been replicated in other social programmes around the County. By mobilizing and empowering the communities to take charge of the projects in their localities, we have embraced response to the needs of the citizens. By providing avenues for the poor and disadvantaged to reach to the public offices for support, we have managed to positively impact on the lives of our citizens, thereby giving them higher esteem and dignity in life.