By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, 19 November 2025 - Community water providers and consumers in Kieni Constituency, Nyeri County, have rejected a proposed increase in water-use charges, warning that the move threatens access to an already scarce resource in one of Kenya’s driest regions.
In a statement read by Joseph Kagiri, chairman of the Mutitu Water Self-Help Group, leaders of more than 60 community-based water projects, representing an estimated 300,000 residents, accused the national government of imposing the new tariffs without consulting the people most affected by water scarcity.
Under the Water (Resources) Regulations, 2025, the government has proposed raising domestic and public water-use charges from KSh 0.50 to KSh 2.50 per cubic metre.
The five-fold increase, they argued, is not only “unjustified and unconstitutional” but also risks deepening water insecurity for households, farmers and livestock keepers in a constituency that relies heavily on community-managed water schemes.
Kagiri said the tariff adjustment mirrors a similar attempt in 2021, when the state sought to raise charges to KSh5 per cubic metre, a move that sparked nationwide protests from consumers, county governments and civil society.
The backlash forced the Water Resources Authority to revise the rate to Sh2 and eventually led to a court-ordered suspension in July 2023.
The Kieni water groups now contend that the government has repeated the same mistake by publishing new regulations without public participation, in violation of Article 10 of the Constitution and Section 4 of the Water Act.
They insist that no advertisements, stakeholder meetings or invitations for public submissions were issued before the regulations were gazetted.
“This decision was made without our voices being heard,” Kagiri said.
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“It disregards the principles of openness, transparency and inclusivity. Access to clean and affordable water is a right, not a privilege to be priced beyond reach.”
He warned that the increased charges would hit rural families hardest, especially in an area where water scarcity is already driving up the cost of living and complicating irrigation for small-scale farmers.
Community groups say their water projects operate on tight budgets, often depending on volunteer labour and resident contributions to maintain boreholes, pipelines and storage tanks.
A steeper tariff, they argue, would weaken these local systems and undermine efforts to expand water access.
The leaders now want the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and the Water Resources Authority to withdraw the new regulations and open a genuine public participation process.
They say that if the government fails to act, they are prepared to file complaints before the Water Tribunal and, if necessary, escalate the matter to the Environment and Land Court.
“We are not opposed to reasonable regulation,” their statement concluded.
“But any policy change affecting such a basic human need must involve the people first.”
