The Makueni Investment Forum summarized the water management issue: “Scarcity of water is the over-arching theme in Makueni. All leaders are in consensus on this challenge. Increased access to water will boost agricultural and horticultural production. In particular, dams, boreholes and irrigation schemes are required. Currently, water projects are identified and implemented on a one-by-one basis without coordination at County level but with expert and regulatory interventions from government agencies. Regulatory requirements are often experienced as challenging.

A large number of water projects is community owned, implemented and serviced. The Council implements less than 10 water projects per year, whereas many dozens are likely to be required to make impact on poverty alleviation. Commercial banks may be in a position to participate in financing water projects. The Council should invest in a dam building engine. Many dams are saline and installations must be built to address this problem. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is inadequate in most population centres. Technical requirements for water projects are becoming more challenging due to environmental and health regulations, and these will have to be factored into investment budgets. The total requirement for water projects in Makueni County has not been analyzed scientifically and this must be done.”