Hon Amina Abdalla: A Stream of Hope

There are many positive takeaways from the Jubilee manifesto.  The emphasis on jobs and training for our youth is vital for Kenya’s blossoming future.  Corruption will be tackled with an iron fist, from above and from below.  Expanding healthcare coverage will ensure that Kenya’s most vulnerable citizens are protected.  Providing electricity and developing the country’s infrastructure, while being areas of obvious success, will be taken to new heights in the next Jubilee government.  Cost of living will be tackled through a host of strategic policies, and education will be provided for free, as a basic right for Kenyans.  One certainly cannot argue with these policies, which will no doubt be for the betterment of the entire country. As such, they have been the focus of much media attention over the last few days, spurring important debate.  After all, us Kenyans never shy away from a healthy (and sometimes unhealthy!) debate!

However, one major policy area which the media seem to have overlooked was buried deep in the impressive Jubilee blueprint: Water.

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Narok water treatment plant.  This state of the art facility is an impressive place.  I was mesmerized by this brand new, relatively small concrete building which is now providing clean drinking water to over 50,000 residents of Narok.  One can walk across the open tanks and witness the miraculous process of dirty, muddy, greyish brown water, slowly transitioning to translucent, then transparent water.

At the end of the process, one can turn on a tap to see beautiful, fresh, clean Kenyan water.  A stream of hope, a gush of pride.

This Jubilee government has worked hard to bring clean water to as many Kenyans as humanly possibly in four and a half years. The Narok facility indeed is just a drop in the ocean.  This manifesto proves that the journey for clean Kenyan water is just beginning.  While much of the focus of the media reporting thus far has been on other perhaps more high-profile issues, I believe that this basic source of life should also be making waves!

The commitment to complete 57 large scale dams will be nothing short of revolutionary for the average Kenyan’s access to water.  President Kenyatta’s policies of the last four years have made Kenya a place where large international companies want to do business.   The incredible record-breaking statistics for foreign investment since 2013 speak for themselves.  Billions of dollars have been injected into our economy.  And with the World Bank rating, Kenya as one of the best places in Africa to do business, mega projects such as dams, water treatment facilities, and large pipeline projects, constructed as public-private partnerships will become more and more commonplace.

Never one to merely focus on his base communities, President Kenyatta promises to increase access for all communities.  The Mwache Dam and Mzima 2 Pipeline Project, for example, will bring water to Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta.  The commitment to bring piped water to every household in Nairobi, the surrounding counties and the populous Kibera by 2020, has been made possible by the huge investment in infrastructure during the last four and a half years.  The pace of development this government has achieved demonstrates that it is entirely possible to increase the number of Kenyans connected to safe piped water from 3.6 million to 9 million by 2020.

Jubilee’s manifesto also includes the clear and achievable goal that 80% of Kenyans will have access to potable water by 2020.  With these sorts of results, we will be the leading light of Africa in the provision of water, just as we already are in electricity connectivity, internet speeds and coverage, and health provision.

This entire process must be compounded by education, education, education. That is why it was encouraging to see Jubilee’s manifesto specify that schools and local communities will be trained in popularizing water harvesting and water catchment management strategies.  Combining the top-down management and a grassroots bottom-up awareness campaign, we can significantly reduce water wastage.  Likewise, by strictly enforcing the protection of wetlands and water towers from development, we can guarantee long-term solutions to this most fundamental of issues.

So while water may not make a “splash” in the media, one should never forget that “still water runs deep”.  This commitment will revolutionize Kenya, and quench our thirst for generations to come.

Hon Amina Abdalla , Nominated MP