Report Shows Inequality in Access to Clean Water

A recent report from the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has highlighted severe disparities in access to safe drinking water across Kenyan counties. According to the State of Inequality in Kenya report, counties such as Kiambu, Nairobi, Nyeri, and Uasin Gishu enjoy more than 80 percent access to safe water, while others like Narok, West Pokot, Baringo, Mandera, Samburu, Kitui, and Bomet record rates below 40 percent. The CRA warns that for millions of Kenyans — particularly in rural and marginalized areas — clean water remains a distant luxury.
The report’s findings are reinforced by data from UN Women’s inequality analysis, which also shows sharp gaps between urban and rural areas. In 2019, 46 percent of rural residents lacked access to safe drinking water compared to 21.4 percent in urban areas. The analysis identified Narok, West Pokot, Baringo, Samburu, and Kitui as the most deprived counties, with deprivation rates ranging from 63% to over 70%. Further compounding the crisis, a report by People Daily revealed that in Turkana County, 71 percent of residents still lack basic sanitation, and only 44 percent have sufficient drinking water — a statistic mirrored in other arid and pastoral counties.
Experts and civil society advocates say these inequalities pose grave public health risks, including higher rates of waterborne diseases, especially in underserved areas. According to UNICEF Kenya, as many as 9.9 million Kenyans rely on contaminated surface water sources. Water activists are calling on national and county governments to increase investment in infrastructure, prioritize marginalized counties in water sector budgeting, and ensure equitable resource allocation. The poor pay more for water, yet millions go without proper access, warns civil society experts. If left unchecked, the report says, water inequality could deepen existing social and health inequities — undermining Kenya’s aspirations for universal access to clean water under the Sustainable Development Goals.