THE IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS ON WOMENS

THE IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS ON WOMEN’S ACCESS TO WATER SERVICES IN LAKE VICTORIA BASIN By J. O. Obosi IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 1

INTRODUCTION � Sessional paper no. 1 of 1999 on water in Kenya � Provision of water by local authorities � water sector reforms started in year 2004 � WASREB- WSPs � 8 WSBs in Kenya: Nairobi, Tanathi, Northern, Coast, Rift Valley, Lake Victoria North, and Lake Victoria South � Commercialization services. of provision of water IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 2

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK � Governance theory � Water as a human right (Article 43(1)(d) � Water as a human right and economic good � Rolling back of the state functions: neoliberal approach � Privatization vs commercialization of water services � Women rights as human rights IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 3

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS � Water departments of Las converted into Water Pl. Cs � LVSWB as an agent of WASREB � WSPs sign water SPAs for 5 years with WSBs � WSPs included: i PLCs ii. Comm. Water Projects, iii. Private � Government support through WSTF IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 4

METHODOLOGY �A sample of 288 households including 127 headed by women � randomly selected 7 WSPs under LVSWSB � data from both secondary and primary sources � The data analyzed using descriptive statistics � results presented in simple table statistics. IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 5

ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS i. iii. iv. Proportion of women with access to water The distance to water sources Households' monthly income Monthly expenditure on water IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 6

PROPORTION OF ACCESS TO WATER � Overall access women 44. 1%; Male 55. 9% � Rates for women lower in rural areas � 86. 5% receive water within 400 m � 23. 5% have piped water in households currently � 60. 1% had piped water before 2004 � Order of piped water currently: Kiwasco. Mikutra- SNWSCO- Chemosit � 47. 7% maintained same WSP since 2004 IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 7

DISTANCE FROM WATER POINTS � Access differed with monthly income � Income spent on water affects the distance to water supply points � mean distance of 290 m in 2004 � Current mean distance of 211. 7 m in all WSPs � reduction in distance from respective water sources highest in Nyasare and least in Kiwasco � Community projects have shorter distances than PLCs IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 8

HOUSEHOLDS' MONTHLY INCOME � Mean monthly income currently is Kshs 18167. 03 � Mean income before 2004 Kshs was Kshs 16, 417 � Income highest in Kiwasco(29167. 25/=) and lowest in Mogombet (12667. 9/=) p. m. � Income in 2004 highest at Kiwasco 23667. 1/=) and lowest at Boya (10666. 9/=) p. m. IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 9

EXPENDITURE PER HOUSEHOLD BY WSP � Mean expend. on water is Kshs 453. 79 p. m. � Mean expend. in 2004 Kshs is Kshs 243. 58 p. m. � As proportion of current income is 2. 5% � As proportion income in 2004 was 1. 48% p. m. � Mean below UNDP’s recommendation of 3% � Mean expenditure higher in PLCs than in comm. Water projects IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 10

CONCLUSION � water sector reforms not yet increased access to affordable and quality water in the right quantity at the right time � the commercialization of the water provision services has not done enough to justify its existence � households have further been impoverished the water sector reforms � Increased expend. On water reduced expenditure on other items by and for women IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 11

RECOMMENDATIONS � enhancing the direct financing of the community based water projects without going through WSBs � Development of more water infrastructure to reverse the current centrifugal pattern to urban areas at the expense of rural areas IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 12

END IMPACT OF WATER SECTOR REFORMS JOO 13