Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Isiolo County

This technical brief presents the findings of a 2023 longitudinal study assessing nine public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Isiolo County, Kenya. These investments, implemented between 2014 and 2016 via the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF), were evaluated for their functionality and governance nine years after implementation to provide insights into the sustainability of locally-led adaptation (LLA) projects.

• A 2023 assessment of nine water infrastructure investments in Isiolo County revealed that only two were functional, five were functional but not in use, and two were non-functional.
• Inadequate maintenance has compromised the long-term viability of several projects; specifically, four investments that were functional in 2019 were no longer in use by 2023 due to a need for rehabilitation and desilting.
• Inter-community and resource-based conflicts have led to the vandalism of infrastructure, including storage tanks, pump houses, and fences at sites such as the Harr Buyo, Belgesh, and Manyangab Water Pans, involving pastoralists from neighbouring Garissa and Wajir Counties.
• Security concerns at specific sites, namely the Urara and Yamicha Boreholes, forced communities to relocate and move assets like genset inverters to safer locations.
• The sustainability of investments is enhanced by integrating local knowledge and community-led planning, such as the practice of using certain boreholes as strategic water points only during the rainy season to preserve rangeland for the dry season.
• Technical failures in siting and design have impacted project success; for example, the Kobe Dadach Guracha Borehole was deemed unsuccessful due to incorrect siting, and the Raap Sand Dam suffered from siltation and incorrect rehabilitation.
• Gender imbalance persists in the governance of these investments; while Ward Planning Committees comply with the two-thirds gender rule, site management committees remain male-dominated, with the Belgesh Water Pan committee consisting entirely of men.

APA

Jebiwott, A., Osumba, J., Orindi, V., Ododa, K., Magoma, I., Waqo, J., Duba, D., Karaho, E., & Redda, R. (2024). Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Isiolo County. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Technical%20Brief_Isiolo_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Jebiwott, Alice, Joab Osumba, Victor Orindi, Kennedy Ododa, Ivy Magoma, Jacob Waqo, Dida Duba, Esperanza Karaho, and Robi Redda. Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Isiolo County. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2024. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Technical%20Brief_Isiolo_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{jebiwott2024assessing, author = {Jebiwott, Alice and Osumba, Joab and Orindi, Victor and Ododa, Kennedy and Magoma, Ivy and Waqo, Jacob and Duba, Dida and Karaho, Esperanza and Redda, Robi}, title = {{Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Isiolo County}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2024}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Technical%20Brief_Isiolo_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }