Water Management in Kenya: Toward an Ethic of Sustainability

To promote water security of all countries worldwide, the United Nations established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. MDG goal number seven requires that the number of citizens worldwide who lack access to safe water and improved sanitation be reduced by 50% by the year 2015. The need for improved water quality and sanitation is heightened in the water-insecure countries like Sub-Saharan Africa, as rural communities lack adequate infrastructure, and urban migration strains existing safe water supply and sanitation facilities. Kenya provides a profound example where the government practices water use ethics that are manifest in unsustainable water use policies. Water security for the citizens of Kenya is not likely attainable under the current government mandated management paradigm. However, recent developments in the laws and constitution of Kenya, education of citizens, and improvement in agricultural water management practices have prepared the country for an aggressive movement toward sustainable water use policies and an improved water ethic.