Women's Role and Participation in Water Management: a Case of Kaiti Watershed in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

Women play an important role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water resources. Despite their essential role, they are still being excluded from important public decision making process in water projects often leading to their failure. The main objective of this study is to examine women’s role and participation in water management in Kaiti Watershed in Machakos County, Kenya. The study examines the various obstacles that hinder women’s participation in water management in the region. Furthermore, the study examines the efficiency and adequacy of the local projects in the context of the national water policies of Kenya. For data collection, a descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted. Primary data was collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that women in Kaiti experience many obstacles in their roles and participation in watershed management. These obstacles include: social-cultural challenges, economic challenges, and water policy constraints, amongst others. The study recommends a number of inter-related actions that need to be taken to enable the women in Kaiti to make their maximum contributions to the watershed management programme.