Master Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Water Catchment Areas in Kenya.

The Master Plan for the Restoration, Conservation and Sustainable Management of Water Catchment Areas in Kenya has been developed for all water catchment areas in Kenya. This Plan will be implemented over a 19- year period from 2011 to 2030 in line with the Kenya Vision 2030 and the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. It takes into consideration the variability and diversity of the country, the devolved governance system according to the Constitution and global conservation paradigms including the management of transboundary water catchments. In addition, it advocates for the adherence to key environmental management principles including Payment for Ecosystems Services and the polluter pays principles (pag. xviii).
The Master Plan envisions a Kenya with well managed water catchment areas; its goal is to assure the conservation and sustainable management of water catchment areas. The Plan provides a detailed review of existing legislation, policies and other relevant documents relating to the management of water catchment areas, and identifies gaps and conflicts in the existing legislation and policies as well as weaknesses in the institutional framework. The environmental status, biodiversity and land use of the water catchment areas are described and remedial actions identified (pag. xviii).
The National programme proposed in this Master Plan will be established to guide outcomes that target poverty eradication, economic growth and most importantly a sustained quality environment. The planning, implementation and monitoring of the activities identified in the Master Plan will involve multiple stakeholders as is required in the Constitution (pag. 5).
There is growing scientific consensus and evidence that global climate change is taking place and will influence the future of the global economy, ecosystems and livelihoods of the rich and poor (pag. 57). The governance of water catchment areas is undertaken principally to guarantee the availability and supply of water. The legal and policy framework for the water sector has undergone fundamental reforms over the last decade, first in Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1999 on Water Resource Management and Development (Water Policy, 1999). The Policy’s main goal is to enhance sustainable and integrated development and management of the water sector through the: i. preservation, conservation, and protection of water resources and their sustainable, rational and economical allocation ii. supply of sufficient quantities of good quality water to meet various needs including poverty alleviation while ensuring safe disposal of wastewater and environmental protection iii. establishment of an efficient and effective institutional framework and iv. development of a sound and sustainable financing system for effective water resources management, water supply and sanitation development (pag. 66).