Why water is more than life in Kenya

The adage water is life has been used so long it never evokes any emotions.

It has been recited endlessly by young ones entertaining dignitaries at functions and hammered days on end in schools.

It passes as another construction of a sentence.

Yet the symbolism and meaning behind it holds so much weight for the over 40 million Kenyans now more than ever.

For a country that relies heavily on agriculture, not just for feeding its people but for growing the economy and providing her people with jobs, water is not something, it is everything.

Yet its dwindling supplies have been christened the biggest catastrophe of the 21st century, with the reality of dried wells and barren lands all too bare.

Experts have warned that water wars, now being witnessed, will be bigger than anything we have ever seen.

A report documented by Waterlight Africa, a think tank on habitation and natural resources, opines that water refugees will overtake traditional war refugees in Sub Saharan Africa in the next 20 years. In Kenya there are already tell-tale signs.

The newly devolved   county governments are feeling the heat as different counties scramble for major water catchment areas.

Traditionally resources were shared among the citizens.

But county governments, keen on securing key resources with the aim of enticing investors are demarcating boundaries which are fanning inter- county squabbles.

This is especially on water towers as most of the people in the counties are farmers. Demand for water by livestock and for irrigation means even the water towers are struggling to meet the growing demand.

Over 80 per cent of the country is considered arid and semi-arid.

Variability in weather caused   by climate change has resulted in a fragile ecosystem that is not able to support sustainable production of food.

Ironically, Kenya is among African countries that is experiencing and will continue to experience population   explosion at an unprecedented level. This will automatically put pressure on   food producers as demand for food burgeons.

As things stand, due to the   vagaries of weather our farmers are stretched beyond limit. Land is no longer   producing as it used to, primarily because heavens are not opening up.

Scenes of residents of one area of Kiambu county receiving relief food recently was heart wrenching. Kiambu is among prime agricultural zones that has traditionally fed itself and fed the country.

Researchers are telling us to brace ourselves for more such scenes, where food baskets will take a toll on   failed rains, if nothing is done to arrest the situation.

For example, startling figures show that the   world's thirst for water will grow by 50 per cent in the next 20 years while water withdrawals will exceed natural renewals by 60 per cent. The bulk of   this will be in Sub Saharan Africa.

But it doesn't have to escalate to such epidemic proportions. As a country we need to arrest the twin dangers of water scarcity and population boom.

The few initiatives that have already been taken, albeit as baby steps, are recording positive results.

The decision by government to open up over a million acres of land couldn't have come at a better time.

It is a gallant and laudable step that will bridge the yawning deficit between what the food producers manage to produce and the runaway demand.

But such noble efforts should not be left to government alone.

A sector as crucial as food production should be a collective responsibility of us all.

That is why it is humbling to see   initiatives embraced by farmers like water pans, and other water harvesting models delivering bumper yields.

Irrigation doesn't have to be large scale and complicated.

That is why small scale irrigation innovations like the miniature Kadogo drip kit by Elgon Kenya which covers areas as small as an eighth of an acre have recorded impressive results.

Farmers using the drip kit attest that they no longer depend on the rains for food production and   survival and have gone on to double their yields.

But we have only scratched the surface.

Serious commitment to access to water and irrigation should be one of our   priorities.

The success of the First Lady's beyond Zero Campaign in taming maternal deaths should inspire us to also ensure year round supply of water for in the now monotonous 'water is life' phrase lies our future and that of our generations.