| dc.description.abstract | Water contributes to economic growth and to the social well being of the human
population as social and economic activities relies heavily on access to adequate
quantities of water of suitable quality. Access to safe water is a basic human right and
every person has a right to have sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and
affordable water for personal, domestic and other uses. A key component to sustained
equitable access is water governance. Governance comprises an intertwine of processes,
policies and institutions that enhance the way in which a society manages itself, central to
which are core elements of accountability, transparency, participation, inclusion and
equality. The Kenyan government has put in place the Water Act of 2002, laying the
foundation for governance arrangements by separating functions of water policy, water
regulation and water services delivery. Previous experiences of vesting these functions in
one entity has proven to fuel corruption, non-transparent and non-inclusiveness decisionmaking,
inefficiency and mismanagement of water resources and services, broadly
fuelling bad governance in the water sector.
This study attempts to assess the effectiveness of sound governance systems in
meeting local and national objectives of ensuring •.improved access to water supply
services and thereby improving water dependent livelihoods. The study focuses on
Kibera slum. The District Office Southern Division in Kibera, was randomly selected as
the focal point for the study. A snow ball sampling technique was utilised to collect
information, through the application of a set of questionnaires and observation. The study
aimed to establish whether improved water governance was critical to water access, an
underlying factor for life and enhanced livelihoods. The study reveals water access
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limitations in Kibera as it is not readily available to residents, a majority of whom walk
long distances and spend long hours fetching water. The water prices on the other hand
are prohibitive and Kibera residents end up paying much more for water than the affluent
citizens living only a kilometre away from there. Further, the water services are not
adopted to fit the local needs of the residents of Kibera's and in many occasions the
quality of the water is compromised. Participation in decision making processes, that lead
to provision and access to water is very low. The study recommends enhancing effective
participation of slum dwellers in such processes for improvement in quality of life and
enhanced livelihoods. The study establishes that effective and balanced governance
systems in the water sector, coupled with deliberate enhanced citizen's participation in
activities with bearing on water availability, can guarantee improved water services
coverage. | en |
