Response Strategies to Environmental Challenges Facing Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCo) Limited, Kenya

Abstract

This research project was a case study of response strategies to environmental challenges facing Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company. The main objectives of the study were to establish the environmental challenges faced by Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company in supplying water to the county and to determine the response strategies by Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company to cope with the challenges faced. The need for this study was occasioned by the fact that only a fairly reasonable segment of the urban formal settlements have been provided with water, while a negligible percentage of water reaches the informal settlements and villages particularly in Kisumu . Generally, Kisumu County is not water sufficient parse. In fact the over 50% of Kenyan population living in informal settlements and villages including those of Kisumu County still face the challenges of water supply inadequacy. The fact that this population is not covered with enough supply of water is against the Kenya Constitution 2010 particularly on the need for all citizens to enjoy sufficient water supply as a basic fundamental human right. Kisumu County population face numerous challenges of being supplied with portable water by Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company. Hence there was a need to investigate these challenges and the responses to address them. At the same time there is little research that has been undertaken on the same subject at the same firm. This therefore left a knowledge gap that is addressed by this research. In order to address the objectives of the study, data was collected and analysed using in-depth interviews by the researcher. Four senior managers were interviewed. The collected data was analysed by way of content analysis. The research findings indicated that Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company have faced numerous challenges in its attempt to supply water to its citizens. These challenges were found to be political, economic, legal, technological, strategic leadership, financial and staff related. The findings also indicate that the company has responded to these challenges by developing community outreach and participation programs, training of staff, developing strategic plans, partnering with strategic stakeholders and allocating financial resource investments, among others. The findings of this study will be of great value in terms of theory and knowledge, policy development and management practice. On theory and knowledge, the findings of this study will be valuable in the field of water supply to counties. The research findings will also form the foundations for further research as well as act as a source of literature review for future studies. The findings of this study will also be of great importance to policy decision making in the water sector. Also the company management will use these findings to review its organisational structure to ensure proper allocation of resources to the county .Given the ever increasing population and the demand for more water in the informal settlements, Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company require the creation of strategic leadership with a mandate of creating a learning culture that adopts to environmental change in the water sub-sector. Accordingly, an effective organizational structure for effective allocation of resources with clear performance indicators on supply of water to the county was developed. This investigation being a case study may not reflect the general situation in the supply of water to Kenyan counties. It is therefore limited to Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company. Given that Kenya has 47 counties, it would be of particular significance to study the major challenges and strategic responses of other county water companies besides Kisumu in supplying water to the residents.