Sh1.2bn Mara project to promote water safety

BOMET COUNTY: The conservation of the Mara River Basin has received a boost after the Dutch government through its embassy injected Sh1.2 billion.

The Mau Mara Serengeti sustainable water initiative, a four-year-programme, is set to boost water safety and security in the region and ensure self-reliance for people living around the basin.

The move to secure the basin brings together a powerful consortium of approximately 15 partner institutions, comprising Kenyan authorities, the Dutch government, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and various knowledge institutions.

Speaking during the official launch of the programme at Mara Water Users Associations offices at Mulot along the Bomet-Narok border, Michael McClain, a professor of Ecohydrology at Unesco-IHE Institute for Water Education, said the project also aims at strengthening organisational and technical capacities of local water resource management authorities and water resource user associations.

"As a nation, we highly recognise the vital role of water in the sustainable development of the basin and for that reason we have formulated a programme of activities spanning the entire basin," said McClain.