Ten years of sustained investment in the Upper Tana watershed have significantly strengthened Nairobi’s water security. The work has ensured more reliable and cleaner water for millions of residents. Through a decade of partnership between government, utilities, businesses and farming communities, the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust has reduced sediment flowing into rivers, restored degraded landscapes and improved dry-season river flows using nature-based solutions.
These efforts are helping the city withstand growing pressure from climate variability and rising demand, showing that protecting water at the source is essential infrastructure for a resilient and rapidly expanding Nairobi. According to the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust, which is championing long-term management of the water source by applying nature-based solutions, this has contributed towards securing Nairobi’s water supply by reducing sedimentation, improving water quality, stabilising river flows and improving efficiency of water treatment, delivering over 27 million litres of additional dry-season water daily.
Speaking at the tenth anniversary commemoration event in Nairobi, the Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, CBS, described the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund as one of Kenya’s strongest examples of a public private partnership for watershed restoration, bringing together government agencies, utilities, communities and private sector actors. “As pressures on Kenya’s water towers increase due to population growth, land use change and climate impacts, sustained investment is essential.
The Water Fund model delivers strong returns through reduced water treatment costs, improved water quality and long term ecosystem resilience. The Ministry calls on development partners, private sector actors, climate funds and local philanthropies to scale investment and replicate this model across Kenya’s water towers,” said Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, CBS, Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.
The Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust’s Trustee President, Eddy Njoroge emphasised the importance of upstream investment and strong partnerships. “The program’s success over the past decade demonstrates the value of addressing water security challenges at their source while building strong partnerships across sectors. Our biggest lesson from the last ten years has been that it is more cost-effective to address these challenges upstream. We look forward to another celebration in ten years’ time as we continue working with farmers, government and stakeholders to conserve the Upper Tana watershed using Nature Based Solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve farmers’ livelihoods and secure a consistent supply of clean water for Nairobi.”
Eddy Njoroge, Trustee President, Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund Trust. More than 470,000 acres of farms and forests and 980 kilometres of river are now under improved sustainable management. Over 260,000 farmers have adopted climate-resilient land management practices, including the installation of 17,000 water pans that harvest more than 2 billion litres of rainwater every year. Over the past decade, the Trust has also supported the planting of 5.9 million trees, created more than 22,000 green jobs and generated 118 million US dollars in additional income for farmers through fruit, nut and livestock feed value chains.
Water-supply risks for private sector and domestic users in Nairobi have been reduced through a 41 percent decline in turbidity, resulting in savings of 1.2 million US dollars in water-treatment costs. The Upper Tana, which forms the upper section of the Tana River, remains Nairobi’s main water source. It provides about 95 percent of the water used by the city’s 4.8 million residents and supports another 5 million people living in the basin.
The Nature Conservancy launched the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund in 2015 as the first initiative of its kind in Africa to secure water at its source. It has since evolved into an independent, registered public charitable trust with strong governance, science-based decision making and collaborative investment.
The water-fund model was first pioneered in Quito, Ecuador in 2000. It has now been replicated in more than 30 cities worldwide, including 16 in Africa. In Kenya, existing water funds include the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund, Eldoret-Iten Water Fund, River Yala-Nyando Water Fund, Upper Tana MidGalana Water Fund and the Jumuiya Water Fund.
“The Upper Tana shows that when you protect water at the source, the impact is immediate and measurable. Cleaner water for Nairobi, stronger dry-season flows, and better incomes for the farmers who make this work possible. After ten years, the results speak for themselves. With sediment down by more than 40 percent, more than 260,000 farmers improving their land, and billions of litres of water harvested upstream each year, this model is delivering what growing African cities need reliable, affordable water in a changing climate,” said Ademola Ajagbe, Regional Managing Director, Africa, The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
During the anniversary event, partners called for increased sustainable financing, stronger privatesector participation and deeper community engagement to ensure that the water-fund model continues to deliver benefits and can be expanded to other Kenyan cities.
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