The Water Act 2016 technically repeals the Water Act 2002. The Act presents a number of changes in the water sector with the aim of improving services.
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 110 of the Water Act, 2002, the Minister for Water made the following Rules: —
THE WATER (SERVICES REGULATORY) RULES, 2012. These Rules are cited as the Water (Services Regulatory) Rules, 2012.
The Water Act 2002 led to establishment of Wasreb as the Regulatory Board with powers to:
-Issue licenses for the provision of Water Services
-Determine standards for the provision of Water Services to consumers
-Establish procedures for handling complaints by consumers against licensees among others.
This law was repealed by the Water Act 2016 which was operationalized in April 2017.
With the sector reforms coming into force, the different sub-sectors have undergone significant transformation. Water resources management and development are separated from water services delivery. The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation has delegated key functions to autonomous sector institutions mandated to ensure policy formulation, resource mobilization, sector coordination and monitoring/control.
The National Water Master Plan 2030 was launched on 26th March 2014. It is a product of an intensive study of Kenya’s water resources and meteorological conditions to facilitate planning for development and management of the same. The objectives of the Project were:
To assess and evaluate availability, reliability, quality, and vulnerability of country’s water resources up to around 2050 taking into consideration climate change
To renew the National Water Master Plan towards the year 2030 taking into consideration climate change
To formulate an action plan for activities of WRA up to 2022 to strengthen their capability
To strengthen the capacity of water resources management through transfer of technology