WASH News East Africa
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Kenya: State chided for slow reforms in the water sector
13 Jul 10
The Government should speed up reforms in the water sector to enhance supply in the country and improve the provision of sanitation services to avoid water-related conflicts in future, the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries has said. The Institute further notes that proper and efficient water and sanitation infrastructure in the country is among the [...]
Uganda: Korea to build water project in Arua
13 Jul 10
The Korean Government is to fund the construction of a water and sewage system in Arua town. A total of $2m (about sh2b) has been provided for the project through the Korea International Cooperation Agency. Gabriel Aridru, who lobbied for the funding, said the money would be used to conduct a feasibility study, draw a [...]
Africa: project helps local governments contribute to water and sanitation MDGs
12 Jul 10
A two-year project launched in March 2010 is helping local governments in 15 African countries contribute to the achievement of the Water and Sanitation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). United Cities and Local Governments for Africa (UCLGA) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability – Africa are partners in the European Commission (EC) funded project ‘Local [...]
Kenya: school sanitation – a common challenge (video)
11 Jul 10
Students at the Ramba High School, Ndori, Kenya have to remove their clothes when using the latrines. They do this avoid the strong smell of the disinfectant sticking to their school uniform. Every year, after the rains, new pit latrines have to be constructed. To improve sanitation conditions at schools like Ramba High School, GTZ’s [...]
Kenya: Fear of attack leaves women prisoners in their homes
08 Jul 10
Women and girls in Nairobi’s slums live under the constant threat of sexual violence, leaving them often too scared to leave their houses to use communal toilet and bathroom facilities, Amnesty International said in a report released today. Insecurity and Indignity: Women’s experiences in the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya details how the failure of the [...]
Uganda: The sad story of Lake Victoria
06 Jul 10
Waste management remains a problem in Uganda. This has caused pollution of the environment including the soil and water. Edwin Nuwagaba looks at how pollution has impacted on Lake Victoria and how environmentalists are dealing with the problem. Back in my secondary school days, we were taught the properties of water. We were told by [...]
Kenya: Endless row in water ministry threatening crucial reforms
06 Jul 10
A row over the management of water services in Kenya involving ministry headquarters is causing disquiet in the sector, which is undergoing a crucial phase of reforms. The reforms, that began about a decade ago following the enactment of the water policy in 1999 and later, the Water Act (2002), saw the creation of eight [...]
Nile Basin: Water crisis emerging
02 Jul 10
A water crisis is emerging in the Nile Basin where some 300 million people in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi rely on the Nile indirectly and directly along its 6,741-kilometre stretch. In 1999 the countries of the Nile Basin formed the Nile Basin Initiative. Since [...]
Uganda: Cholera patients overwhelm Kayunga Hospital
02 Jul 10
The increasing number of cholera patients being admitted in Kayunga hospital has overwhelmed the medical workers at the health unit. According to the District Director of Health services, Dr Ediriisa Musisi, 12 people have so far died of cholera since it broke out three weeks ago at Kawongo landing site in Galilaaya sub-county and Kisombwa [...]
Kenya: Country fails to harvest water
29 Jun 10
Kenyans will be wishing for the next rains as it emerges that not much water was harvested in the just ended long rains season. Of the five major dams the Water and Irrigation ministry pledged, only one in Machakos was completed within the period that started in March, assuring area residents of water for at [...]
