Kenya secures AfDB fund for water, sanitation project

The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Wednesday approved 391 million U.S. dollars to help finance a major water and sanitation program in Kenya.

The Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Program is designed to improve water access and quality in 19 towns and improve waste water management in 17 towns.

"The program fits with the Kenya's Vision 2030 and its five-year Mid-Term Plan II (MTP-II), whose realization is heavily dependent on adequate and sustainable provision of water supply and sanitation services," AfDB said in a statement received in Nairobi.

The program aims to catalyze commercial activities, drive economic growth, improve people's quality of life and build resilience against climate change, according to the statement.

"These objectives would be achieved through construction and rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation infrastructure including expansion into informal settlements; and capacity development of water service providers, sector regulators, and women and youth," it said.

The program will provide more than 2.1 million people with reliable and sustainable water supply services and more than 1.3 million people with water-borne sewerage systems, creating more than 15,000 new jobs in the process.

The MTP-II prioritizes the water sector investments including expansion of water supply and sanitation in towns. The program, to be implemented in 54 months, is estimated to cost 451.66 million dollars.

The Bank's loans and grants will cover 86.52 percent of the total program costs. The Kenyan government will contribute 60.87 million dollars in counterpart funding. Endit