International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)

Volume 7 Issue 3, May-June 2023 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470

Stakeholder Participation in
Water Resource Management: Drop of Life
Chepngetich Doreen, Sitienei Anne
Department of Environmental Studies, University of Kabianga, Kericho, Kenya

ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Chepngetich

Water resources are threatened both nationally and globally due to Doreen | Sitienei Anne "Stakeholder
anthropogenic activities. This puts at risk the realization of the United Participation in Water Resource
Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It is for this reason that Management: Drop
sustainable water resource management forms part of the key global of Life" Published
in International
development concerns. The present study sought the participation of Journal of Trend in
community as well as stakeholders in management in Kipkelion West Scientific Research
Sub-County within Kericho County in Kenya. Descriptive research and Development
design was used in this study. The study population comprised of (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456- IJTSRD56374
households and water management agencies within Kipkelion West 6470, Volume-7 |
Sub-County. About 394 households were randomly sampled for the Issue-3, June 2023, pp.329-334, URL:
study while purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 10 www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd56374.pdf
key informants for interviews. The study area was in Kipkelion West
Sub-County within Kericho County in Kenya. Household Copyright © 2023 by author (s) and
questionnaires and interview guides were used in the data collection. International Journal of Trend in
Scientific Research and Development
Although the use of water resources was found to be communal in
Journal. This is an
nature, the management was left in the hands of the resource owners Open Access article
and water other water resources management stakeholders. The main distributed under the
stakeholders in the water resource management in the study area terms of the Creative Commons
were found to be the County Government of Kericho, Water Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)
Resources Authority (WRA) and Kericho Water and Sanitation (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Company (KEWASCO). These stakeholders were found to be KEYWORDS: Water conservation,
working consultatively to manage the water resources in Kipkelion stakeholder, Community,
West Sub-County. Participation
INTRODUCTION
Water is one of the most important resources that the global population are found in areas that experience
environment has to offer (IWMI, 2007). Most of the water problems and the water supplies in such areas is
biological processes in the environment are dependent 10% lower than the demand (Annan, 2000; Arnell,
on water. Human livelihood is also highly dependent 2004).
on water. Water can be used for drinking, cooking,
Water conservation is a multilevel process that
farming, transport, cleaning and several other
involves effective water management with sustainable
activities. Without it, life on earth would stop to exist.
utilization (Ullah, 2016). The goal of water
Over 50% of the body of most animals contains
conservation is to be able to harness available water
water. Water is used for cellular activities, excretion,
and make it available for longer periods of time.
maintaining a healthy appearance, nutrients transport
Effective water conservation strategies are therefore
and so much more importance. Realizing the
those that ensure inter-seasonal availability of water
importance of water as a resource, the United Nation
and effective management of the available water
instituted the UN-Water (United Nations, 2018). This
resources (Cech, 2010). The world today is caught in
became the organization tasked with all the United
a dilemma of protecting both the environment and the
Nation’s issues of water and sanitation that cut across
human health while at the same time meeting the
the departments of the United Nations (United
growing demand for water and development that is
Nations, 2018). To realize the necessary development
driven by population growth and affected by climate
in Africa, there is a need to address current and future
variability and land use change. Sustainable water
water crisis. An estimated number between 350 – 600
resource management includes both water availability
million people living in Africa is projected to face
and usability without compromising its quality.
water crisis by 2050. Approximately one third of the

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 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
Sustainable water resource management should meet
the socio-economic and environmental needs of the
society. To understand the water quantity demand,
there is need to understand the geographical profile,
natural and human resources, socio-economic
structures, and the features of water resources in the
region (Feng, 2001).
A study conducted by Beall et al. (2011) indicated
that for sustainable water management, there is need
to understand the water balance in each region. They
further asserted that water conservation, reuse and Figure 1: Map of Kipkelion West Sub-County
recycling are feasible mechanisms for increasing showing the four Wards of the study area
available surface water and groundwater supplies. Research Design
One of the key factors that affect water quality is land
This study employed a descriptive survey research
use practices. Land management programs, including
design using both quantitative and qualitative study
hubs and corridors, working lands, and aquifer
approaches. Descriptive study assists in describing
protection programs, all affect water resources and
the attitude, ideas and other personal attributes
their sustainability. Land use changes can impede or
relating to a given topic under study (Wambalaba,
contribute to sustainable water, so sustainable water
2009). This design was chosen for this study since it
resources management also must include integrated
assisted the researcher in giving the details of the
watershed management.
variables under study without manipulating the
Local communities hold different views regarding existing situations on the ground (Miima, 2014).
water availability for today and future use. Others feel Sample size and Sampling Procedures
that there is enough water for use by all generations Sample design is the collective process of
while others feel the need for sustainable use of determining the population of interest, estimating the
water. Those that promote sustainable use of water sample size, deciding on appropriate sampling
are advocating for water conservation. Since there are strategy and selecting representatives from the
divergent opinions concerning water availability, population. In sampling design, errors arising in its
water managers and other stakeholders need to work procedures should be minimized as much as possible
together in sustainable water resources management with the sampling size being selected to represent the
strategies. It is against this background that the study actual population under investigation (Yogesh, 2006).
seeks to determine the extent of community and other
stakeholders participation and hence document the The researcher used Nausima (2000) formula to
status of water management as a resource in determine the sample size as follows:
Kipkelion West Sub-County, in Kericho County, n= N
Kenya and the need to adopt a more sustainable 1 + N (e)2
approach to the water management process. Where; n = Sample size
Methodology N= total number of households and
Study Area e = is the level of precisionat 5%
The study location was Kipkelion West Sub-County n= 24512
in Kericho County, Kenya. Kericho County is in 1+ 24512(0.05)2 = 394. Using proportionate
Western Kenya with its capital at Kericho Town. It is sampling technique, the sample distribution
one of the Constituencies in Kericho County with
approximately 98,054 persons residing in 24,512 Household questionnaires
households (KNBS & SID, 2013). Most of the water The questionnaires were appropriate for this study
issues in the Sub-County and Kericho County as a since the study targets a bigger population. The
whole is managed by the Department of Water, questionnaires are easy to administer and can be
Environment and Natural Resources and Lake answered easily and quickly by the respondents.
Victoria South Water Services Board officially Instrument Validity and Reliability
situated in Kericho town. Below is a map of Kericho The researcher in validating the research instruments
County. employed triangulation, which is the use of more than
one method in data collection (questionnaires,
interview schedule and observation). Triangulation
was useful in showing concurrent validity of

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qualitative and quantitative data (Cohen et al., 2000). 13% whose sources were not permanent, the duration
This enabled the researcher to check on the content, of unavailability ranged from 1 to 3 months whereas
construction of items and criterion of the research the distance to the alternative source of water ranged
instruments. Randomization procedure that was used from 500 Meters to 3 Kilometers. In Chilchila Ward
in selecting the study samples further assured the for example, the residents that depended on river
researcher on the validity of the instruments. This Kapkures would shift to river Kimologit when
helped in eliminating biasness and thus gave all the Kapkures dries out. However, it hardly took 2 months
respondents the opportunity to provide the for river Kapkures to be available again for water
information that truly reflected the image of the target sourcing. It is also important to note that river
population. The instruments were pre-tested for Kimologit is a permanent source just about a
reliability using Cronbach’s alpha (α) approach kilometer away from river Kapkures.
during the pilot study. In order to ascertain reliability
The geographical positioning of the Wards, the
of the research instrument, the numbers construct for
infrastracture and the amenities within the Ward also
each variable were expanded. An alpha value was
seemed to influence the level of improvement done
expected to be greater than 0.7 to be accepted as on the water sources. Therefore, Kunyak for example
reliability index as indicated by Litwin (1995).
having a better road access showed slightly better
Other stakeholders’ Interview Schedule performance in terms of water sources improvement
Interviews are qualitative in-depth interviews that than Chilchila that had poor road access.
targets people who are widely knowledgeable
concerning a given topic under investigation in this
case water resource management (Avoke, 2005). The
interview guide in this study targeted officers from
KEWASCO, WRMA, NEMA, Sub-County Water
Office and Lake Victoria South Water Service Board
who are directly charged with the responsibility water
resource management. The interview guide generally
focused on themes related to water resource
management in the area.
Data Collection Procedures
The data required to meet the objectives of this study
was mainly collected using questionnaires as it
provides respondent’s an opportunity to give Figure 2: Kipkelion West Subcounty
feedback significantly. Field observation was also percentages of households with improved and
done near water resources. unimproved sources of water
Data Analysis It was noted that most respondents did not see this as
Descriptive statistics in terms of frequencies, a challenge at first because of the conventional norms
percentages, means and standard deviation (SD) to where the rural setup conditioned the dwellers to get
give the overall description of the opinions of the used to the hustle involved in the acquisition of water
respondents was done. for domestic use.
Ethical Considerations Community Involvement in Water Resource
This study used human beings as respondents to Management in Kipkelion West Sub-County
questions as opposed to them being the samples The collected data determined that about 86% of the
themselves. This thus reduced the ethical households in Kipkelion West Sub County do not
considerations and certifications that the study have control over the source of water that they use.
required to achieve. The respondents were however Of the 14% that had control, only 8% owned the
notified about their right to privacy and voluntary water source. This meant that water sources owned by
response. There was need to acquire a research permit 9% of the population were in use by the entire
from the National Commission for Science, population. This also meant that water resources were
Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). highly communal and their management must have
also followed a communal trend.
Results and discussion
Source of water sources However, question 13 of the questionnaire has some
Approximately 87% of the respondents had interesting responses. 74% of the respondents did not
permanent sources of water for domestic use. Of the think that they were part of the stakeholders required

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 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
to manage the water resources. About 12% of the responsibility of the government. Their argument for
respondents thought themselves as stakeholders by this thought pattern was either because they felt they
virtue of being associated with groups involved in did not have the relevant capacity or that they were
conservation efforts in Kipkelion West Sub-County. clearly entitled to demand the government to take
Only 10% of the sampled population thought care of the resources by virtue of them being
themselves as stakeholder in the water resources taxpayers.
management process. The community involvement water resources
The 10% deeming themselves as stakeholders management in Kipkelion West Sub-County is
coincided with the 9% who owned and had direct therefore at below 20% and mostly happens
control over the available water resources in occasionally through mobilize initiation by
Kipkelion West Sub-County. What this meant was stakeholders and is hardly sustainable in most of the
that even though there were many users of water cases.
resources in the Sub-County, the management was
Stakeholder Approach Mechanism Use in The
left in the hands of the very few 9% that had direct
Water Resource Management Strategies
control over the water sources. This brought about the To determine whether the stakeholder approach
tragedy of the commons where the resource owners mechanism was used in the management of water
had to put in extra effort to ensure the sustainability if resources in Kipkelion West Sub-County, the
the water resource for the benefit of the entire stakeholders had to be first of all determined. The
dependent households. Some resource owners termed main stakeholders that were identified for the Sub-
their relationship with the community as a benevolent County were KEWASCO, WRA (former WARMA)
one. When asked why they do not charge for the and the County Government of Kericho.
water, the responses varied from the source having
once been communal, the adjacent community having Kericho Water and Sanitation Company Limited
no purchasing power to sustain a consistent payment KEWASCO is the abbreviation for the Kericho
for water and the fact that most members in such Water and Sanitation Company Limited. This a
communities were relatives in one way or the other. Private Limited Company completely owned by the
County Government of Kericho where Kipkelion
There were instances where Community Based West Sub-County resides. Initially, the company that
Organizations (CBOs) were formed to specifically used to be responsible for water supply and billing
manage the environment and water resources in their most parts of Kipkelion West Sub-County was called
respective locations. In Chilchila Ward for example Tililbei Water and Sanitation Company Limited
there was a volunteer group called the Public Health (TILWASCO). This company was officially clastered
Community Volunteers (PHCV) whose members not into KEWASCO in Novemebr 2018. TILWASCO
only took care of the sanitation in the Ward, but also scheme used to control nine schemes that included
the quality of the water resources in the Ward. Kipkelion, Londiani and Fort Ternan. This merger
Friends of Londiani was another such group with extended the reach of KEWASCO from the initial
interest in water resources management. urban and peri urban niche to the entire Kericho
The level of community involvement in water County. KEWASCO operates under a Managing
resource management is usually occasional and Director who answers to a Board of eight Director
organizational. Occasional in the sense that it is not a drawn mostly from the County Government and
continuous process. It usually happens during stakeholders.
internationally recognized days like the United KEWASCO covers an area of over 2,454 kilometers
Nations’ world wetlands day, world environmental squared and as of 2019, it has supplied water to an
day, world health day and most importantly, world area of about 291 kilometers squared. This is a
water day. The community involvement is coverage less than 12% of the entire area of
organizational on the other hand in the sense that operation. Most part of Kipkelion West Sub-County
there must be some originating effort for the falls within the 88% unreached area. This is
involvement to be achieved. Some of the originating especially true for Kunyak and Kamasian. This
points of effort include community-based implies that KEWASCO has a long way to go before
organization, volunteer groups, Non-governmental it becomes a serious stakeholder for water provision
Organizations and Governmental Organization. and water resource management in Kipkelion West
The data collected established that over 80% of the Sub-County.
members of the communities in Kipkelion West Sub- By virtue of operating as a Limited Liability
County believe that the management of water Company, KEWASCO is most of the time profit
resources in the Sub-County is purely the

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 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
oriented. Profit orientation means that almost all the Water Resources Authority
adopted projects must have either a short-term or Water Resources Authority (WRA) is a state
long-term projection of profitability. It goes without corporation that was established in 2016 under the
saying that this nature of operation not only restricts Water Act of 2016. The Authority initially operated
the flexibility of KEWASCO as a water resource since 2002 as Water Resources Management
management stakeholder in Kipkelion West Sub- Authority (WRMA) and had existed for 12 years
County, but also the willingness to invest in such before it changed its name. The main mandate of
efforts. On a positive note, KEWASCO like most WRA is to safeguard individuals right to clean water
Companies have Corporate Social Responsibilities. through regulations, establishment and the
Under this umbrella, KEWASCO is ussualy able to management of the available water resources in
sponsor sustainable water management efforts and Kenya. The Authority focuses on sustainable use of
create awareness on water management as a resource. water to benefit both the present users and future
users and aligns water management with global
The County Government of Kericho
sustainable goals. Infact, the mission of WRA is to
From the collected data, it was evident that Kericho
effectively regulate and manage water resources for
County as a stakeholder was determined to ensure
sustainable development with an ambitious motto for
that there was clean water available for all the
accounting for every drop.
residents in the County. Most of the effort to ensure
this is usually driven by the Department of Water, Functions of WRA include enforcing regulations
Environment, Energy, Forestry and Natural made under the Water Act of 2016; formulating and
Resources headed by a County Executive Committee enforcing regulations about the management and use
Member. of water resources; determining and setting water use
charges; regulating flood mitigation procedures and
The main priority for the County as a stakeholder in
coordinating stakeholders in the process of water
the water resource management in Kipkelion West
resource management. It can therefore be concluded
Sub-County is making sure that all the residents in the
that WRA is the main stakeholder in the management
four Wards have access to a steady and clean supply
of water as a resource in Kenya.
of water.
The presence of WRA in Kericho is via the Lake
It is for this reason that the mandates of the
Victoria South Catchment (LVSBA) which is the
Department of Water, Environment, Energy, Forestry
southern part of Lake Victoria basin in Kenya.
and Natural Resources include the implementation of
LVSBA covers an area of about 31,734 kilometers
policies, rules and regulations on water uses and
squared. There is a Catchment Management Unit in
disposal, the development of water and sanitation
Kericho County whose main focus is managing the
service infrastructure, the development of water
ecology of the Basin Area.
sources to provide clean and portable water to
residents and the development and implementation of In Kericho, WRA focuses on restoring degraded
water service policies and guidelines to licensed water catchment areas, promoting sustainable
companies. So far, the County Government of agriculture, mitigating water resources pollution,
Kericho has been able to achieve a lot towards the dealing with flood cases and mitigating the challenge
efforts to manage water resources both in the study of riparian land encroachment.
area and Kericho County as a whole. Some of these
Stakeholders Approach in Kipkelion West Sub-
archievements include the merger of the Kericho
County
Water and Sanitation Company (KEWASCO) and Just like the case of community participation in the
Tililbei Water and Sanitation Company water resources management, the stakeholder
(TILWASCO) for better provision and management approach in water resource management in the study
of water; purchasing of a drilling rig to enhance water area was occasional in frequency and coincided with
supply, the construction of masonry tanks; laying of important local, national and international days. The
over 200 kilometers of pipeline; donating water tanks coinciding with these days therefore meant that the
to public institutions; drilling and equipping of County Government of Kericho was the main
boreholes; protection of springs; de-silting of dams promoter of the stakeholders’ participation event.
and pans; tree growing for watersheds conservation;
improving of waste disposal within the county to As mentioned before, most residents in Kipkelion
reduce runoff pollution of water resources and the West Sub-County do not even consider themselves as
rehabilitation of degraded sites. stakeholder in water resource management activities.
This becomes a huddle for other stakeholders to deal
with in order to start the participation process. In fact,

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question 20 of the questionnaire found out that 86% Basin Participatory Model. Journal of
of the residence in Kipkelion West Sub-County had Sustainability. 3, 720-742;
no idea what stakeholders’ participation was. These doi:10.3390/su3050720
residents purely regarded themselves as users of the
[5] Cech. (2010). Principles of Water Resources
resources and counted on other agencies like the
History, Development, Management, and
County Government of Kericho, WRA and
Policy. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
KEWASCO to initiatively manage the water
resources. [6] Cohen, M. A., Eliashberg, J., & Ho, T. H.
(2000). An analysis of several new product
There is however a consultative approach when
performance metrics. Manufacturing & Service
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Operations Management, 2(4), 337-349.
County. This is brought about by the default flow of
authority in the Sub-County and Kericho County as a [7] Feng, G. (2001). Strategies for sustainable
whole. Even though WRA is a national organization, water resources management in water scarce
it has to work hand in hand with the County regions in developing countries. Integrated
Government of Kericho to manage the water Water Resources Management (Proceedings of
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Kipkelion West Sub-County is the County Management in Agriculture. London:
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Community involvement in water resources measure survey reliability and validity (Vol. 7).
management is usually occasional and, on Sage.
information only basis when the main stakeholders
intend to pass important messages to community [10] Miima, F. A. (2014). Integration of information
members. Thus, there should be improved community communication technologies in teaching and
involvement in the participatory attempt to manage learning of Kiswahili language in public
the water resources in Kipkelion West Sub-County. In secondary schools in Kakamega County,
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