May 3, 2010 -- An innovative project is increasing access to clean and reliable water supply for rural communities in Kenya, using a blend of commercial finance and an output-based subsidy. The project is helping small community-based water providers access the finance they need to improve water systems and connect poor households to piped water supply.
Access to rural water supply remains low in Kenya. In particular, access to piped water has only increased from 9 to 10 percent of rural households over the past eight years.
Small community-based water providers are seen as part of the solution and are supported by the Water Sector Act of 2002, which introduced regulatory and tariff reforms.
However these small water projects lack funding, especially to improve existing systems.
Policy Note No.
Community run small-scale water systems play a critical role in supplying consumers in the peri-urban and rural areas of Kenya.
