The Water Resources Authority (WRA) has developed Draft Water Allocation Guidelines and Thresholds aimed at strengthening clarity, predictability, and accountability in water use permitting while promoting compliance and equitable access for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes.
This was revealed by WRA CEO Mohamed Shurie during a public participation forum in Machakos, designed to gather stakeholder and public input nationwide and review submissions that will inform the water allocation guidelines. The objective is to ensure fair and sustainable access to water for all Kenyans.
“Not all water sources will have the same amount of water, so one must control, conserve, and balance water from upstream and downstream. It is WRA’s responsibility to make water available to every citizen,” said Mohamed.
He emphasized that stakeholder consultations are critical in developing regulatory guidelines, which align with constitutional principles and safeguard environmental flows and ecological sustainability.
“Effective water resource management depends on collaboration. The public participation forum provides a platform for open dialogue, addressing concerns, and identifying practical implementation challenges early,” added the CEO.
He also urged Kenyans to comply with the law and refrain from unlicensed borehole drilling, noting that all groundwater extraction requires official authorization as it is a shared national resource.
WRA Chairman Donald Murgor highlighted that water spans all sectors of the economy and must be managed equitably under the Water Act 2016, which guarantees fair and sustainable access for everyone.
“WRA manages both surface and underground water. Since water cuts across all sectors, development cannot occur without addressing water,” declared Murgor.
Stakeholders such as George Ngotho, Coordinator of the Kiambu Water Project Association, expressed support for the guidelines. “Water is a shared resource. I must not take more than I need and compromise downstream users,” he said.
Ngotho also appealed for waivers on accumulated charges, noting that some abstractors inherited high fees dating back decades.
During the forum, WRA launched a Customer Mobile Application available on Google Play Store and Apple Store, aimed at leveraging technology to enhance sustainable water management.
The CEO explained that telemetry water monitoring stations will collect real-time data for rivers and groundwater, complemented by an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system to track water abstraction.
The self-service mobile application allows customers to access services conveniently, including paying water charges instantly, submitting meter readings, and accessing bills and usage history directly from their phones.
Participants included representatives from counties, water user associations, industry groups, agricultural stakeholders, civil society organizations, and the general public.
By Anne Kangero
