Impact of covid-19 pandemic on investments in the water sector in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on water investment financing in Kenya. This paper therefore presents an analysis of the investment financing as prioritized in the water sector since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study was done through an analysis of the Government of Kenya’s capital financing trends in the water sector targeting the counties of Nairobi, Kiambu and Murang’a during the pandemic period. The findings indicate that there was increased funding to the water sector in general. However, most financing was directed towards emergency works geared towards increased access to water for hand washing to curb the spread of the pandemic. In some cases, this resulted to shifting of resources from the long-term planned and ongoing projects to short-term emergency interventions. Such a shift is likely to negatively impact on the progress made towards the attainment of the Kenya’s Vision 2030 at the national level and the sustainable development goals at the global level.