A decade of success: community-owned project brings tapped water to village in western Kenya

Welcome, listeners, to our programme. Today we visit a community water project in Kericho District, 300 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, Kenya. Kericho district is well known for tea production, which is a major source of foreign exchange for Kenya. However, poverty is still high, with levels being estimated at about fifty-eight percent.

Like many other parts of Kenya, rural households in this district do not have tapped water. Though many households are within a reasonable distance of water sources such as springs and rivers, tea and dairy farming can be labour intensive. This means that time and attention must be split between these activities and fetching water for both domestic consumption and livestock. Residents of Kiptegan village know that water is key to their survival and livelihood, and chose not to wait for the government to bring piped water to their community. Instead, they decided to take action themselves. Now, over 40 households have tap water within their homesteads. Today, we meet with Mr. Reuben Tanui, treasurer of the Chesilot Water Project, for a deeper insight into this project.

Listeners, we will be hearing from Mr. Tanui after a short break. Stay tuned.

Musical break

Welcome, Reuben.

Thank you.

Why did you start the Chesilot Water Project?

Water is a basic human right. We have many water sources around this village, and thus we cannot really say that we had to travel long distances in search of water. But, over time, farming activities have changed. Small-scale farmers are drifting towards dairy farming and bringing more acreage under tea. We are also now growing potatoes. Previously, the main focus was on keeping traditional herds. The trend now is towards smaller families, and farming activities are even more labour intensive. We wanted to reduce the time used walking to and from water sources by bringing water closer to, if not right inside, our homes.

Give us a brief background of the project.

The Chesilot Water Project dates back to 1997, when village farmers on an exchange visit to the Sosiot area of the district met a farmer who had tapped water. This water travelled from the source to his house by gravitational flow. In 1998, a group of five Kiptegan villagers met together to find a solution to their water problem, inspired by what they had seen in Sosiot. We considered all the water sources we have, namely river and streams. The challenge we faced was how to pump the water uphill, which would have meant additional costs. Fortunately, we found a spring on higher land, and, in the same year, we began to fundraise to protect the spring. We started to install some pipes in the spring; these bring water downstream to the place where we constructed a big water tank in 2004. It took two years to lay the pipes to reach the houses. Our work was inspired by a resolution among members that, by Christmas Day in the year 2000, all members would have water in their houses.

When you say “big water tank,” how big is it exactly?

The tank has a capacity of about thirty-five thousand litres. This serves all the 40 households who are involved in the project.

We read and hear news almost every other day about conflict over water sources. Do you have any conflicts with non-members?

Certainly. We had lots of conflicts with the community. First, when the process dragged on for two years, a lot of things were said. The committee members were even accused of having begun this project to cheat the community. When we protected the water source with concrete and installed two pipes, the accusation was “wametumalizia maji” (Editor’s note: this is Swahili for “you have finished the water for us.”) This is despite the fact that we even installed a third pipe which allowed non-members to continue accessing the water. However, with time, the community realized that our intentions were good, and the project has been increasingly accepted in the community, so that the membership has grown.

This is a community project and most community projects have a problem sustaining themselves over the long term. How has the Chesilot Water Project survived over the past decade?

At the beginning, we sat down and thought through the entire project. We agreed that members should be responsible for the entire cost. Thus, we have a membership fee of 1000 Kenyan shillings (Editor’s note: about 13 US dollars or ten Euros), and a monthly fee of 50 shillings (2/3 US dollar, or 1/2 Euro). Fortunately, we have no major ongoing equipment or maintenance costs, since the water flows from higher land by gravity. Because the members were involved right from the beginning and took responsibility for the costs of the project, they have a strong sense of ownership. They look at the project as their own, rather than belonging to an external donor or funder.

How has this project added value to life in the village?

The quality of life has improved tremendously. Water is a valuable substance, which we had to spend precious time to access. Right now, we have water inside our own compounds – and just by turning a tap! You know that dairy cows such as Friesians and Ayrshires drink a lot of water. We no longer have to go through the stress of fetching water from the river or taking the cows to the river to drink. Water for livestock is easily available from the tap. We can also grow crops such as kale, tomatoes and Irish potatoes, especially during the dry season. This adds a few extra coins to our families’ incomes.

Members have also started their own tea nurseries, which supply seedlings to replace destroyed tea bushes. We have started bee keeping. All this adds immense value to the quality of life in Kiptegan, particularly for members of the Chesilot Water Project.

Musical break

What is the legal status of the group and the project?

The group is registered with the Department of Social Services as a self-help group. Because we have done this, we can open and operate a bank account in the group’s name. We are also registered with the Ministry of Water Development, and the Ministry has helped by providing us with technical advice.

You earlier talked of conflicts in the community. Have these conflicts in any way threatened to split the group, such that another group emerges to run a similar project in the same area?

The conflicts have not threatened to split the organization. Most of the issues were raised by non-members. However, I think it would be worthwhile mentioning another project in the village. This is the Kiptegan Water Project, which serves half of the village. This project began about five years after ours had been established. It also adds real value to the quality of life of its members. The water flow in this project is different from the Chesilot Project; water flows directly from the source to the households, as no tank has been installed.

How much has the Chesilot project cost to date? Have you received any external grants or donations towards the project?

The project has cost us over a million shillings (Editor’s note: about 13,000 US dollars or 10,000 Euros). All this has been raised through contributions by the members and through the monthly fee of fifty Kenya shillings (2/3US dollar, or 1/2 Euro) which is charged to every member. The Chesilot Water Project has not received any funding from external sources. Last year, we sought funding from the Constituency Development Fund, but we did not succeed. We were told that our application was received after the deadline and were advised to try later. The area Member of Parliament has visited this project, and we are hoping for the best. However, we are a bit reluctant to seek public funding and support from politicians since this could lead to politicization of the project.

Many groups seem to have leadership struggles, and a good percentage of these groups fold up within a short time. Your project has survived ten years. How have you managed?

We acknowledge that all individuals have different views, opinions, priorities and intentions. This is one factor that we must first of all agree with. Secondly, Chesilot Water Project is made up of people living within one part of the village, and we have known each other a long time, either since childhood or school days. So we have very good knowledge of each other’s capabilities. Leadership struggles are not really a major issue, though I must admit that issues arise occasionally. We handle these as they come. But we have managed well.

Our main challenge has been the lack of change in leadership. For instance, I have been the treasurer of the group since 1998, while the chairman, Richard Kiget, has been in the same position over this period. However, I am glad to report that we will soon be handing over direction of the project to new people in a few weeks’ time when we hold an election.

Musical break

To sum up, Reuben, please give the listeners some final words.

What I can say is that success in community projects can only be achieved through determination. Ours has succeeded so far, though it has not always been a bed of roses. We had challenges, and we still have challenges, but we keep on going.

Thank you very much, Reuben.

Thank you for inviting me to the studio to share about the Chesilot Water Project.

Listeners, today we visited Chesilot Water Project in the western Kenyan Highlands district of Kericho. This is a community water project which has brought water into 40 homesteads since 1998. The project was conceived by the community members and fully funded by the community. This is a powerful statement of what a community can do for itself if all members have the will. Water is a basic right, and indeed we all know that water is life. We must stop assuming that the government is the sole authority that can bring water into our homes. Instead, we must take the bull by the horns, just as the 40 families in Kiptegan Village did a decade ago, and who now enjoy piped water in their homes. We have been speaking to Reuben Tanui, founding member and outgoing treasurer of Chesilot Water project, about the community initiative. From today’s programme, we can confirm that patience pays off. We see a number of benefits that the Kiptegan community has gained from using water for domestic and agricultural activities. We also see how organized the group is by registering with the Department of Social Services. Lastly, their leadership skills have kept the project going. We hope that, through this presentation, you have learned and can borrow a page from their book. Thank you all, and may God bless. Bye.

Fade up music then out