Billions Lost as Nearly Half of Kenya’s Treated Water Goes to Waste

(NAKURU COUNTY) – Kenya is stepping up efforts to stop water losses after revealing that around 43 percent of treated water fails to reach intended users, costing the country billions of shillings each year.

Deputy Head of the Public Service Amos Gathecha blamed the losses on leakages, illegal connections, faulty meters and operational inefficiencies. He said the trend continues to eat into revenue needed to expand water services.

Speaking during the Non Revenue Water Management Conference dinner at a Naivasha hotel on behalf of Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei, Mr Gathecha said the losses hit ordinary Kenyans hardest.

“It is about the child who misses school because there is no water at home. It is about the mother who must wake up before dawn to search for water for her family. It is about communities that continue to pay more for water from vendors than households connected to formal water systems,” Mr Gathecha said.

He said cutting non revenue water is essential to achieving reliable and affordable water services for all Kenyans, in line with the government’s commitment under the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda to put citizens at the centre of public service delivery.

Mr Gathecha urged county governments, water service providers and regulators to strengthen governance, professionalise utility management and adopt technologies such as smart metering, Geographic Information Systems, artificial intelligence and digital monitoring to improve efficiency and cut losses.

He also called for greater public participation through mobile reporting of leaks, regularisation of illegal connections, and flexible payment options for low income consumers.

Mr Gathecha stressed that tackling non revenue water requires teamwork among national and county governments, regulators, the private sector and communities. He noted that the ultimate goal is improved access to safe, reliable and affordable water.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, the Water Services Providers Association, the Kenya Water Institute, the Council of Governors and the County Government of Nakuru. It continues with technical sessions aimed at developing strategies to reduce water losses nationwide.