A series of Inductions on the Water Act, 2016, and other Water Sector reforms related issues have commenced with the second Water Sector Institution to be inducted on Water Sector Reforms brought about by the Water Act 2016 being Senior Management Staff from the National Water Harvesting & Storage Authority, (NWH&SA), led by their General Manager, Finance, Mr. Patrick O Ataro on Monday 9th, March, 2020 in a Naivasha hotel.
Senior Management Staff Members from the Water Resources Authority, led by their Technical Director, Eng Boniface Mwaniki, WRA were the first to be inducted on the same between 24th&25th February this year while Senior Management Staff from the Water Sector Trust Fund are set to be inducted on 30th, March, this year.
Workshop Objectives were -:
- To increase staff knowledge on water sector reforms progress to date, overall reforms process, implementation arrangements, institutional reforms plan.
- To equip water sector middle level staff with skills necessary to cascade water sector reforms knowledge to reporting staff for successful legal and institutional reforms.
- To enhance NWHSA staff capacity on the Water Act 2016 – the changes and unbundled mandates of water sector institutions.
- To highlight to NWHSA staff the policy directions in the Water Policy.
- To share progress and expected roles in the implementation of the Water Sector Reforms communication strategy not limited to WSR portal and newsletters.
Officially opening the Workshop, NWH&SA General Manager, Finance, CPA Patrick O Ataro commended the Ministry’s Water Sector Reform ( WSR) Unit- Project implementation Unit ( PIU) members , through funding from the Ministry’s World Bank funded Kenya Water Climate Resilience Project, ( KWSCRP) for organizing these inductions , which he described as “Eye openers” on the specific mandates changes brought about by the Water Act 2016.
CPA Ataro said that for the Water Sectors Reform to succeed, there was need for the Ministry to clearly point out the changed unbundled mandates of the specific Water Sector Institutions and guide the reform process for ownership and implementation.
Representing the WSR unit Team Leader, Eng Fred Marangu, who is also the Director of Sanitation and Sewerage department in the Ministry’s as well as a WSR-PIU Member urged the many Water Sector Institutions within the Ministry to work as a Team for the “common good on all issues Water, Sanitation and Irrigation” while collaborating with each other, where possible, as a water Family so as to enhance provision of all sectors services to all for improved live hoods.
At least Sixty (60], Senior Management Staff from the NWHSA were inducted on the Water Act Water 2016, by the Ministry’s Water Sector Reform- Project Implementation Unit members and enabled to better understand, embrace and entrench the ongoing Water Sector reforms in the sector for its accelerated growth.
The one-day induction workshop took place at a Naivasha hotel, and was coordinated by Mr Daniel Kimani, WSR-PIU Member in charge of inductions and was very successful.
The Water Act, No. 43 of 2016 (Water Act) was assented on 14th September, 2016 and commenced application on 21st April 2017, through Kenya Gazette (L.N 59 & 60).
The government has invested in systematic reforms to put into action legislation to guide the process in the form of the Water Act, 2016.
During the NWHSA induction, the participants were taken through the following presentations, “Overview of Water Sector Reforms (achievements to date, process, arrangements, legal timelines, transition-transfer plan, Water Sector Institutional Reforms under WA 2016, by Ms Emily Kyalo, Legal Officer AWWDA, NWH& SA-Unbundled mandates & implications by Dorice Mwangi, Legal Officer, NWHSA, Overview of the National Water Policy, by David Bosuben, TOT, Ministry, Implementation Plan for the National Water Policy, D T Mogusu, WSR-PIU Member, Water Sector Reforms – Communication Strategy and Plan 2019-2022, its implementation status-content development for the Water Sector Reform -Newsletter, Bi-monthly Briefs, Media Facts Sheets & WSR portal and timelines, Ms Monica A Omoro, WSR-PIU Member, Reforms portal, Micro sites & MWS staff information portal content, Mr Charles Nyakeri, WSR-PIU Member, and lastly Action Plan for next steps- Cascading WSR induction message to other officers, David Thiongo, WSR-PIU Member .
By MONICA OMORO- ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION OFFICER.
MINISTRY OF WATER, SANITATION AND IRRIGATION.