County Government of Laikipia

The onset of the rains is expected in the second to the third week of March according to the Kenya Meteorological Department Monthly forecast.

Laikipia's water companies, Nyahururu Water and Sanitation Company in Laikipia West and Nanyuki Water and Sanitation Company in Laikipia East, have initiated a water rationing program to ensure equitable access to the limited water available, It is expected that this situation will continue for the next ten to fourteen days until the rains commence.

As the County Government of Laikipia, we are responding to this situation by providing drought mitigation support, particularly to the under-served and vulnerable communities through

• Water trucking and provision of fuel subsidy for generator driven boreholes. We have deployed four water bowsers to the critical regions in Laikipia North as well as targeted spots in Laikipia West and East.
• NAWASCO has invested in additional storage tanks in Baraka and Njoguini.
• Equipping of two boreholes at Yard Primary and Reli B.
• Initiated Equitable sharing of available water by the two water companies through creating rationing schedule.
• Communicating to customers through messages on the rationing schedules in different areas to inform their planning.
• Encouraging customers to have household storage tanks and efficient water use.

Laikipia County lies within the Arid and Semi-Arid region of Kenya, where low rainfall of below 600mm is received on average every year.

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to unpredictable water availability and exacerbating water scarcity. These impacts have affected the quantity of water needed to meet the demand in the county. With the fails of October to November 2021 rains and the delayed onset of the March-April rains, we are faced with an acute shortage of water within our catchment area of Mount Kenya and Aberdare forests.

Laikipia's main surface water sources are rivers Rongai, Timau, Ontuleli, Likii, Sirmon, Nanyuki, Narumoru, Burguret, Mutatar, Pesi, Suguroi, and Ewaso Narok which have either dried up or in the verge of doing so. Our water companies are finding it hard to meet the demand for water in their service areas.

As we look to improve our water security, we urge Laikipians to take advantage of the expected rains and invest in rainwater harvesting and storage. This will help in reducing over-reliance on surface water sources and availing more water to our neighboring downstream communities.

We, therefore, urge all Laikipians to use the available water efficiently and sparingly, until the situation improves.

Example of NAWASCO's challenge to meet demand for water