Thesis / Project Abstract (Max 250 words)

The contributions of governance to water availability in Mwingi town. Identification of governance capacity to address issues of water scarcity in many parts of the world is pertinent especially for urban areas characterized by high populations, high demand for water, high land rates, high capital generations, and low resources allocations and over- utilization. In areas with low water provision, governance intervention is key to create impetus environment for sustainable water provision. Mwingi town has rapidly growing population creating more water demand, which stands at 11,000m3 per day with only provision and supply of 2,700m3 by KIMWASCO. The study objectives address this scarcity by investigating systems of water supply, analyse state of water governance and proffer solutions to sustainable water reliability in Mwingi town. The governance scarcity approaches with best practices anchored on factors of effectiveness, efficiency, and trust and engagement. Governance is independent variable and water availability is dependent variable with systems theory as overarching theory. The primary and secondary data sources were used to gather information and SPSS to analyse. Main findings are that the main source of water is KIMWASCO and water vendors with a weekly water shortage for both households and hotels. Alternative water source included private boreholes, water kiosks, vendors and Tyaa River. Some challenges encountered by water users include inadequate water, expensive water bills, salty water, and high transport costs. There are some measures for reducing water wastage like recycling water, educating employees, turning off water taps when not in use, and installing low flow showers.

Student’s Google scholar link (affiliated       to       student’s university email)

Other relevant academic links

Research Supervisors

Dr. Anthony Oduor Ralwala and Arch. Caleb Mutali: