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

A 2023 study of 13 water infrastructure projects in Makueni County, Kenya, found that most remain functional seven years after implementation. The success of these locally-led adaptation investments is attributed to the integration of local knowledge with technical data and strong partnerships between the county government and communities. While the projects have improved water access and increased agricultural incomes, challenges remain regarding siltation, funding for major repairs, and the need for green energy transitions to reduce production costs.

• The 2023 assessment of 13 water infrastructure sites revealed that seven were fully functional, two were partially functional, and one was non-functional due to silting. Three sites were not in use at the time of the study because of seasonality.
• The identification of suitable investment sites was achieved by combining technical climate and hydrogeological information with local knowledge gathered through community consultation and forums.
• The water investments have positively impacted the community by reducing the distance women and children must travel for water and by increasing household incomes through new agricultural activities, such as micro-irrigation at the Ngutioni Sand Dam.
• Sustainability of the investments is supported by a partnership between the Makueni County Government, local communities, and institutions, with the county allocating 2% of its total development budget to the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF).
• While minor repairs are typically managed by community user committees through water fees, there is a lack of financing mechanisms for major repairs, which are often too expensive for local resource mobilisation.

APA

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

Chicago

Jebiwott, Alice, Joab Osumba, Victor Orindi, Kennedy Ododa, Ivy Magoma, Sam Mwendwa, Caleb Muendo, et al. Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Makueni County. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2024. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Technical%20Brief_Makueni_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 Mwendwa, Sam and Muendo, Caleb and Mulwa, Ajelica and Karaho, Esperanza and Redda, Robi and April, Amanda}, title = {{Assessing the effectiveness of locally-led public good climate investments in water infrastructure in Makueni County}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2024}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/Technical%20Brief_Makueni_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }