KENYA: Improving drinking water and sanitation systems for coastal communities

Home to the largest seaport in East Africa, Mombasa is critical to the economic security of Kenya and landlocked countries in East and Central Africa. With 1.2 million people, it is Kenya’s second-largest city and the center of Kenya’s coastal tourism industry. 

Over the past 20 years, Mombasa’s population has almost doubled, putting a strain on water and sanitation services.

Drinking water demand is estimated at about 200,000 m³/day compared to an actual supply of 50,000 m³/day. Some of the poorest neighborhoods only have access to brackish, non-portable water or water bought from resellers at excessive prices.

The increased frequency of droughts and reduced availability of freshwater in aquifers could lead to more severe water shortage and public health hazards. 

The Government of Kenya and the World Bank are financing the construction of Mwache dam, 22 kilometers west of Mombasa. Beyond the dam, AFD was engaged to fund the following three project components:

• Upstream investments: a raw water pumping station downstream from the dam and a water treatment plant. The drinking water produced at Mwache will be transferred by gravity through three pipelines to the Dongo Kundu, Changamwe and Nguu tatu reservoirs;
• Downstream investments: increasing the hydraulic capacity of certain pipelines, rehabilitating old networks, extending the network to new districts to increase the number of new connections and facilitating leak prevention;
• Capacity building: increasing the efficiency of Mombasa County’s utility, especially concerning non-revenue water which places a strain on its financial results.

• Eliminate the water deficit in Mombasa County and satisfy the demand for drinking water. Mwache Dam will supply 186,600m3/day of potable water to Mombasa City and Kwale County;
• Enhance revenue collection of MOWASSCO, thus building up its balance sheet.