The Kenya 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) Partnership has been launched at a high level roundtable which brought together senior members of Kenya’s government, private sector and civil society to discuss solutions to bridging the gap between the country’s future water demand and supply.
If Kenya maintains a “business-as-usual” approach to managing its water resources, by the year 2030 there will be almost one-third less available water than required to meet the country’s development needs.
Several areas central to the country’s economy, such as the Athi River Basin, are already feeling the effects of water stress and require urgent action to prevent water from becoming a constraint to sustainable growth.
Kenyan government Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Eugene Wamalwa, said:
“Ensuring a safe and abundant supply of water is vital to attaining our Vision 2030, which aims totransform Kenya into an industrialized middle income country by the year 2030. This partnership with the private sector and civil society will help generate collective solutions to secure water for the economy,society and the environment.”
Practical opportunities to be developed through Kenya’s 2030 WRG partnership include: improving agricultural water productivity (“more crop per drop”); strengthening urban and industrial water efficiency and reuse, and creating new financing mechanisms for both water supply expansion and improved demand management.
Commenting on the new partnership, 2030 WRG Executive Director Anders Berntell, said:
“Across the globe, WRG partnerships are helping push the water resources agenda to the forefront of high level national debate. In Kenya, the appetite for such discussions, and the interest in exploring new approaches is very impressive. This is good news and will be critical to ensure Kenya’s sustainable development and use of its scarce water resources.”
The 2030 Water Resources Group is a unique public-private-civil society collaboration which facilitates open, trust-based dialogue processes to drive action on water resources reform in water stressed countries in developing economies. The ultimate aim of the reforms and actions is to close the gap between water demand and supply by the year 2030.
The 2030 WRG emerged in 2009 through an informal collaboration between IFC, the World Economic Forum, multilateral and bilateral agencies (Swiss Development Corporation), private sector companies (Nestlé, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company), and other organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund.
For more information visit: www.2030wrg.org
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
James Sumsion, CEO of predictive water intelligence specialists Kohtari, says the water sector needs to take a giant leap forward, so that it can anticipate and act upon water quality issues - rather than merely react.
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.