Communities living along Mutara River in Laikipia County have resolved to construct a common intake to solve their perennial water wars.
Representatives from Mutara Water River Users Association, Water Resource Authority and other organisations, the stakeholders agreed to have a self-regulating common water intake to ensure equitable distribution among the farmers, pastoralists and wildlife conservancies relying on the river.
“We have been in conflict with people upstream and those living downstream who have no water. The common intake will solve the problem of people drawing water illegally and also regulate the amounts drawn for use,” said Mutara WRUA Chairperson Nancy Nyambura.
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Water conflicts
The water conflicts in Mutara resulted from the unregulated and illegal water abstraction by horticulture farmers. According to James Mwangi, a water specialist at Mt Kenya Ewaso Water Partnership, a survey conducted in 2019 found 254 illegal tapping points from River Mutara.
The 75-kilometre Mutara River originates from wetlands between Thigio and Subego but vanishes after 18 kilometres due to excessive abstraction pitting users upstream and those downstream. The river provides water to more than 30,000 households, livestock and wildlife in Laikipia County. However in the past five years, it has been the centre of conflict between communities living upstream and those living downstream who have no water. Desperate herders downstream have been driving their livestock into private farms and ranches in search of water upstream
The project, which is jointly implemented by Fauna and Flora International, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and Laikipia Wildlife Forum involves construction of a common intake and do away with the six water projects.
Construction of the common intake, installation of the distribution pipeline and distribution of water lines will cost Sh 40 million. Implementation of the project will be done in three phases starting with the construction of the intake and installation of water fittings.