World Bank Group’s $61.5 million additional finance to support water security and climate resilience activities in western and coast regions
WASHINGTON, June 26, 2015—The World Bank Group has approved US$61.5 million to enable Kenya to improve water security and climate resilience for beneficiaries in the western and coast regions.
The Bank’s Executive Board of Directors today approved US$58 million International Development Association (IDA)* credit additional financing for restructuring of the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, which was approved in June 2013 with a credit of $155 million. It will also benefit from a grant of US$3.5 million from the Korea World Bank Group Partnership Facility. The Kenya Government will contribute another US$5.8 million to the project, which will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.
“The project addresses the needs of a large population of Kenyans who are highly vulnerable to erratic climatic patterns and water scarcity,” said Diarietou Gaye, the Bank’s Country Director for Kenya. “It will improve the livelihoods of beneficiaries in western and coast regions through better flood protection, more reliable delivery of drinking water, better management of water resources and climate change adaptation.”
The additional financing will scale up the activities being implemented under the project and also establish links with the activities of the Kenya Coastal Water Security and Climate Resilience Program—a US$200 million operation approved in December 2014 to improve water and sanitation services in Mombasa, Kwale and other coastal towns.
In western Kenya, the project will involve extensive rehabilitation and improvement of the lower Nzoia dykes structures to protect 66,700 people in Siaya and Busia counties from flooding, which frequently occurs during the rainy seasons. It will strengthen early warning systems to reduce the impact of floods in the Nzoia River basin and will protect the 4,043 hectare Lower Nzoia Irrigation Scheme already being funded by the project.
Interventions at the coast will include improving water services for 48,000 households in Mombasa through more efficient service delivery.
“The new funding will strengthen devolution by providing complementary and institutional capacity support to devolved water and sanitation functions under the Mombasa County,” said Eileen Burke, the Project’s Task Team Leader. “The program will also enhance distribution networks and help to reduce losses in water supply through district metering associations and other technologies.
The additional funding will complement the on-going US$355 million Water Security and Climate Resilience Program, to enable the Government to prepare new investments in the water sector reform and strengthen water sector institutions. This will enhance the capacity of the institutions to deliver timely interventions through water management, planning and climate resilience activities.
The investments in the water sector support the Government’s Vision 2030 goal of improving access to better water and sanitation services for all Kenyans through efficient management of Kenya’s scarce water resources. These activities are also aligned with the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Strategy for Kenya, which is committed to reducing vulnerability and increasing shared prosperity of Kenya’s poor communities through access to better water and sanitation services and managing climate change risks.
