Thousands of livestock farmers in five counties in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid region are set to benefit from improved water and sanitation facilities in a new programme that will also give them access to training and credit facilities.
This follows the signing of a partnership between the KCB Foundation and Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) under the Kenya Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development Programme (Kenya RAPID) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC).
The partnership signed in Nairobi will see the KCB Foundation—the KCB Group social investment arm—through its Mifugo Ni Mali programme work with MWA to stimulate enterprises that will support livestock value chain improvement in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) as part of Kenya RAPID’s work to improve access to safely-managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene over the next four years.
The partners said the programme, billed as one of the most transformative partnerships, is expected to transform the lives of citizens in the five countries of Isiolo, Turkana, Garissa, Wajir and Marsabit.
KCB Foundation Executive Director Jane Mwangi said: “Through this strategic partnership, we foresee productive and sustainable commercialised livestock and water sectors in the targeted counties. There is a great untapped potential in the counties. We believe this will contribute to an enhanced economic status for the households and the counties as a whole”.
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MWA Executive Director Mr Rafael Callejas echoed the importance of the partnership that is anchored on private sector involvement in driving sustainable economic activity. “We are looking at changing livelihoods through innovative business models. The small scale entrepreneurs will also have more opportunity for training on getting and managing credit.”
Through this partnership, the KCB Foundation will conduct financial literacy training of 100 SMEs in the livestock and water value chains, support pasture production, prepare water service providers and livestock keepers for commercial loans of up to USD 1 million in addition to sharing technologies and approaches in sustainable service delivery.
Other private-sector partners include Aqua for All, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, SweetSense, Acacia Water, IBM, Davis & Shirtliff, and Vitol Foundation.
