Kenya Pledges Water Service Scale-Up as UN Highlights Gendered Burden on Access

Overview

• Kenya marked World Water Day at Mwerongundu Primary School in Meru County, where Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa announced expanded clean water, sanitation and irrigation programmes.
• The ministry said placing women in leadership and decision-making roles makes water governance more sustainable, resilient and equitable.
• UNESCO’s World Water Development Report finds women collect water in over 70% of rural households lacking on-premises supply and estimates women and girls spend about 250 million hours each day fetching it.
• The report details knock-on effects that include missed schooling, lost income, health risks and exposure to gender-based violence, with many adolescent girls constrained by inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities.
• Local observances echoed the focus on “Water and Gender,” with an OES–Vikash Residential School event in Odisha promoting hygiene education and participation and drawing more than 400 students.