Effects of Water Policy Implementation and Management of Common Pool Resources in Turkana County, Kenya

Abstract

Kenya and the sub-Saharan Africa nations could not accomplish the millennial advancement objectives plan on water and consequently the administration of water is in the core of manageable improvement objectives. This paper explored several reasons explaining why water policies are ineffective in Kenya, including; weak institutional frameworks, poor and unsustainable management schemes, fragmented approach to development of water resources and inadequate development of water infrastructure caused by conflict of interest by the implementing agencies. This study used descriptive research design, and targeted household heads and the county water staff in Loima Sub County. The study sample comprised 392 respondents. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire and KII. The study findings revealed that, community participation in water resource project management cycle was important for managing water as a shared resource. Moreover, the study established that non-governmental groups and the private sector were better at managing water as a shared resource. Furthermore, community participation in the management of water as a resource for common use was found not to be a determining factor in such management. The study concludes that water is a development challenge in Loima Sub County; it is thus essential to involve the community in the management of water as a common pool resource. The study therefore recommends that Turkana water government should improve performance of utilities through operationalize Turkana County Water Act 2019 and develop robust performance improvement plans based on diagnostic of the utility’s key challenges. Additionally, development of water and governance policy ought to guide management through co-creation in development of coherent and robust policy framework, operationalization roadmap and redesign the structure of water management committees through adoption of appropriate service delivery options based on context. Keywords: Water assets, Policy implementation, Decision making, Pool resources, Challenges