Kajiado, a two-hour drive south of Nairobi, Kenya, is a district that is prone to drought. The water problems lead to conflicts when thousands of Masai nomads are forced to move to new areas in search of water for themselves and their livestock. This is a vulnerable population that DNV has chosen to support through a Red Cross project.
The Kajiado project is a three-year water and sanitation project that was completed in August 2006. DNV’s project manager Marte Ness made a field visit in November 2006 (click 'downloads' for photos) in order to learn about the benefits to the Masai people and to evaluate continued support for phase two of the project.
In addition to the water component which DNV has sponsored, the project contains elements of immunisation, malaria prevention and control and peer education to prevent HIV/AIDS.
Impressive results
The population in two villages in Kajiado now have access to clean drinking water from drilled wells:
- In the village of Kumpa, water is pumped up from a 80-metre deep well and stored in a large tank. From the tank, water is distributed to a communal water tap and to the local school four kilometres away through a pipe, as well as to a water basin for the livestock.
- In the village of Sajiloni, a 100-metre deep rehabilitated well provides access to clean drinking water. It also enables the people to grow vegetables for themselves and for sale to finance the future operation of the diesel pump.
Marte Ness was impressed with what she saw in the villages, and was overwhelmed by the welcome ceremony and gratitude shown by the villagers.
“The women in these villages used to travel 10-15 km every day to access water that was not even necessarily safe. Now they have direct access to clean water,” she explains.
Recommends a second phase
Marte Ness has now recommended that DNV continue its support for a second phase of the project in a third village close to the Tanzanian border. During her stay, she also visited this area, which had been pointed out by the Kajiado branch of the Red Cross as a potential second-phase site.
Andreas Koestler, the Norwegian Red Cross’s water and sanitation expert with vast experience of projects in Africa, has supervised the projects in Kajiado.
“I’m impressed with what they've achieved,” he says and congratulates the Kenya Red Cross’ Kajiado branch, which has carried out the practical work. After visiting the third village, he has done his calculations and recommended this project to DNV.
Grateful for the support
While in Kenya, the Norwegian delegation also visited the Kenya Red Cross in Nairobi, meeting Abbas Gullet, the secretary general of the Kenya Red Cross:
“The water aspect is a major issue for us and partnerships are the key to success. We want to further develop our expertise in this field and we work closely with the government to get a good overview of the situation in order to be able to prioritise our resources where they are most needed,” he said, underlining the Kenya Red Cross’s gratitude to DNV for the support it has received.