ADDRESSING WATER SCARCITY IN KENYA: CAUSES, IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS

The United Nations ranks Kenya among countries with low water replenishment rates in the world. Only 8.3% of the countries in the world are considered chronically “water-scarce”, marking Kenya as a country experiencing significant pressure on water supply. The country's renewable water resources per capita are below 1000 cubic meters, which defines the country as a water-scarce country. Although the country's freshwater resources are limited, the Kenyan population is heavily dependent on these very limited resources, not only for drinking water but also for agriculture, including irrigation, municipal and industry. This review article presents findings on Kenya water scarcity problems. The article describes the various water resources found in the country and tries to quantify them. It describes the water with-drawal rates in the country and highlights the various methods that can be used to bridge the water supply and demand gap. The article also lists some of the different ways that can be used to solve the current water problem in the country.