Changing lives with a drop of water in Kitui county, Kenya

The Rotary Club of Karura, Kenya, has identified a dire need for water and sanitation services for seven villages namely Kinanie, Nditime, Masikalini, Kamwiu, Ivitasyaa, Masungu and Kyoani in Kitui East, Kitui county Kenya. The villages are located in a semi-arid area with an estimated population of 7,000 people of whom 30% are school going children and 60% are women according to the 2009 census. Each village has around 100 households with an average of 10 members. Most of these are engaged in livestock keeping, subsistence farming and retail trade.

Community members travel over30km to the nearest seasonal water point and due to scarcity of rains, many have been forced to dig very deep in search for water and often in precarious circumstances. This has had an unfortunate ripple effect on the lives of community whereby children are drawn out of school to assist in the water collection, and elderly persons suffer if they do not have someone fetch water for them increasing manageable health risks. The location does have extremely great potential to enhance livelihoods if they have access to regular supply of water for household and agricultural needs.

This project therefore aims at providing a self-sustainable solution by accessing water through sinking a borehole to serve the seven villages. The intermittent rains come in November and December and only offer an ephemeral reprieve. A borehole located in a central village would be a launching pad for improved and sustained health, household food security and retention of learners in school. Specifically, the project will reduce the distance travelled in search of water, reduce occurrence of water-hygiene issues and water related diseases, enable communities to engage in income generating activities and promote climate smart agriculture.