Policy Coherence for Sustainable Water Pans Development and Management: A Case Study of Kenya

Water pans are essential for enhancing people’s livelihoods because they provide water storage for domestic, livestock, irrigation and commercial purposes in arid and semi-arid areas like Makueni County. Despite their importance, the fragmented and uneven policy frameworks have often stalled their effective and sustainable development and management. Examining policy coherence is therefore critical for sustainable water pans development and management in Kenya.

This research used a mixed-methods approach to analyse vertical and horizontal policy coherence and identify the current policy gaps, overlaps and synergies. This included policy document analyses, interviews with key actors and field observations to explore how policies related to water pans development are aligned and coordinated to determine how effective they are in promoting management, ownership, public participation and access in the sustainable water pans development and management in Kenya.

Results of the study showed that water pans in Makueni County require the integration of policies across various actors and sectors to ensure sustainable development and management. Analysis of the results showed that collaborative nature of the relevant agencies and departments does not have defined formal policies and strategies for the provision and management of funding, making maintenance of the water pans difficult. Clarity in policies that define who should develop and effectively manage water pans in the County or the national government is lacking.

There is lack of vertical coherence between national-county level policies and the community (water pans) level policies in the management, ownership, public participation and access to water pans. Most of the Interviewees indicated they are not involved because public participation forums are done in hotels or at far distances. Moreover, they are too technical. They find the policies complex, often reactionary and at odds with their coordinated local knowledge of water pan management. They feel such policies are restrictive and limited in guiding the collaborative implementation of sustainable water pans.

The current inter-departmental collaboration between and within the national and county government is lacking, leading to incoherent implementation strategies, particularly between the departments of Water, Sanitation & Irrigation and Agriculture & Livestock. Addressing these gaps through improved policy coherence, interdisciplinary approaches and incorporating local community practices with county policies is vital for achieving sustainable water pans development and management.