WATER STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND WATER SERVICE DELIVERY: PERSPECTIVES FROM MANDERA COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Purpose of Study: To assess the effect of water storage infrastructure development on the provision of water services in Mandera County.
Problem Statement: The Kenya National Water Policy 2021 was designed to ensure sustainable water resource management and equitable access to clean water. However, key gaps exist in its implementation in Mandera County, where water scarcity remains a persistent challenge. The study was underpinned by Institutional Theory.
Methodology: The study was informed by pragmatism philosophy and employing a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised 535 participants drawn from various key stakeholders in Mandera County, including the Water Resources Authority, Mandera Office, Mandera County Companies, community leaders, representatives from the Non- Governmental Organization, County Government of Mandera Water Department, and the National Drought Management Authority. The researcher used Slovin’s formula to obtain a sample size of 229 respondents.
Result: Findings revealed that 51.9% of the variation in the provision of water services in Mandera County was attributed to the development of water storage infrastructure, demonstrating strong influence of storage infrastructure on water service delivery.
Recommendation: The county department of water services should investment in the construction, maintenance and security of water storage infrastructure, with specific attention to underserved rural areas.
Keywords: Water Storage Infrastructure, Water Service Delivery, Infrastructure Development, Rural Water Supply, Mandera County
References
Aquino, E., Lee, Y. M., Spawn, N., & Bishop-Royse, J. (2018). The impact of burnout on doctorate nursing faculty's intent to leave their academic position: A descriptive survey research design. Nurse education today, 69, 35-40.
Armstrong, C. E., & Shimizu, K. (2007). A review of approaches to empirical research on the resource-based view of the firm. Journal of Management, 33(6), 959-986.
Awandu, W., Kanda, E. K., & Kimokoti, S. N. (2024). The water-energy-food nexus in Kenya: Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies—A review. The Water, Climate, and Food Nexus: Linkages, Challenges and Emerging Solutions, 59-70.
Baba, A., Tsatsanifos, C., El Gohary, F., Palerm, J., Khan, S., Mahmoudian, S. A., ... & Angelakis, A. N. (2018). Developments in water dams and water harvesting systems throughout history in different civilizations. International Journal of Hydrology.
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.
Barney, J. B. (1995). Looking inside for competitive advantage. Academy of Management Executive, 9(4), 49-61.
Barney, J. B. (2001). Is the resource-based "view" a useful perspective for strategic management research? Yes. Academy of Management Review, 26(1), 41-56.
Barney, J. B., & Wright, P. M. (1998). On becoming a strategic partner: The role of human resources in gaining competitive advantage. Human Resource Management, 37(1), 31-46.
Bazaanah, P., & Mothapo, R. A. (2024). Sustainability of drinking water and sanitation delivery systems in rural communities of the Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality, South Africa. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(6), 14223-14255.
Bryson, J. M., Ackermann, F., & Eden, C. (2007). Putting the resource‐based view of strategy and distinctive competencies to work in public organizations. Public Administration Review, 67(4), 702-717.
Buser, M. (2024). Care and Water Security. Ecologies of Care in Times of Climate Change, 18- 37.
Cho, W. H. (2019). Role of transfers in the provision of water: An application to public-private partnership and its impact on social welfare.
Constant, T., Charrière, S., Lioeddine, A., & Emsellem, Y. (2016). Use of modelling to protect, plan, and manage water resources in catchment areas. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(16), 15841-15851.
Crossan, F. (2003). Research philosophy: towards an understanding. Nurse Researcher (through 2013), 11(1), 46.
Eweet, J. T., & Muna, W. (2022). Effects of Water Policy Implementation and Management of Common Pool Resources in Turkana County, Kenya. Journal of Public Policy & Governance, 6(2), 72-85.
Fardowsa, A. (2024). Assessment of Water Quality in Some Distribution Tankers and Boreholes in Selected Areas of Nairobi County (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).
Foss, N. J., & Knudsen, T. (2003). The resource-based tangle: towards a sustainable explanation of competitive advantage. Managerial and Decision Economics, 24(4), 291-307.
GhaffarianHoseini, A., Tookey, J., GhaffarianHoseini, A., Yusoff, S. M., & Hassan, N. B. (2016). State of the art of rainwater harvesting systems towards promoting green built environments: a review. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57(1), 95-104.
Hall, R. (1992). The strategic analysis of intangible resources. Strategic Management Journal, 13(2), 135-144.
Hansen, M. H. (2007). The Resource-Based View in Public Management: A Material and Immaterial World. In Workshop 4: Public Management in the 21st century.
Hassan, H. A. (2025). Egypt's Water Policy and the Challenges of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In Nile Basin Politics (pp. 65-87). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Iradukunda, P., & Bwambale, E. (2021). Reservoir sedimentation and its effect on storage capacity–A case study of Murera reservoir, Kenya. Cogent Engineering, 8(1), 1917329.
Koehler, J., Rayner, S., Katuva, J., Thomson, P., & Hope, R. (2020). A cultural theory of drinking water risks, values and institutional change. Global Environmental Change, 61, 102061.
Kraaijenbrink, J., Spender, J. C., & Groen, A. J. (2010). The resource-based view: a review and assessment of its critiques. Journal of Management, 36(1), 349-372.
Lebu, S., Lee, A., Salzberg, A., & Bauza, V. (2024). Adaptive strategies to enhance water security and resilience in low-and middle-income countries: A critical review. Science of the Total Environment, 171520.
Lee, K. E., Mokhtar, M., Hanafiah, M. M., Halim, A. A., & Badusah, J. (2016). Rainwater harvesting as an alternative water resource in Malaysia: potential, policies and development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 126, 218-222.
Liddle, E. S., & Fenner, R. (2017). Water point failure in sub-Saharan Africa: The value of a systems thinking approach. Waterlines, 36(2), 140-166.
Marks, S. J., & Kumpel, E. (2018). Understanding user preferences and willingness to pay for water quality improvements in small town water services. Water Resources and Economics, 24, 28-45.
Matthews, J., & Shulman, A. D. (2005). Competitive advantage in public-sector organizations: explaining the public good/sustainable competitive advantage paradox. Journal of Business Research, 58(2), 232-240.
Nganyanyuka, K., Martinez, J., Wesselink, A., Lungo, J. H., & Georgiadou, Y. (2018). Working with the grain: How amenable to digital transformation are the monitoring and repair of rural water points in Tanzania? Information Technologies & International Development, 14, 103-121.
Nyanchaga, E. N. (2016). History of water supply and governance in Kenya (1895-2005): Lessons and futures. African Books Collective.
Oates, N., Ross, I., Calow, R., Carter, R., & Doczi, J. (2019). Adaptation and resilience in water management: A review of current approaches. Water and Climate Change, 10(2), 434- 457.
Ogendi, G. M., & Ong'oa, I. M. (2009). Water policy, accessibility and water ethics in Kenya.
Ondieki, J. K., Akunga, D. N., Warutere, P. N., & Kenyanya, O. (2022). Socio-demographic and water handling practices affecting quality of household drinking water in Kisii Town, Kisii County, Kenya. Heliyon, 8(5).
Pache, A. C., & Santos, F. (2010). When worlds collide: The internal dynamics of organizational responses to conflicting institutional demands. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 455-476.
Pandey, P., & Pandey, M. M. (2021). Research methodology tools and techniques. Bridge Center.
Peteraf, M. A. (1993). The cornerstones of competitive advantage: a resource‐based view.
Peteraf, M. A., & Barney, J. B. (2003). Unraveling the resource‐based tangle. Managerial and Decision Economics, 24(4), 309-323.
Priem, R. L., & Butler, J. E. (2001). Is the resource-based "view" a useful perspective for strategic management research? Academy of Management Review, 26(1), 22-40.
Quatember, A. (2019). A discussion of the two different aspects of privacy protection in indirect questioning designs. Quality & Quantity, 53(1), 269-282.
Ruiters, C., & Matji, M. P. (2016). Public-private partnership conceptual framework and models for the funding and financing of water services infrastructure in municipalities from selected provinces in South Africa. Water Sa, 42(2), 291-305.
Scanlon, B. R., Fakhreddine, S., Rateb, A., de Graaf, I., Famiglietti, J., Gleeson, T., ... & Zheng,
Slovin, E. (1960). Slovin’s formula for sampling technique. Retrieved on February, 13, 2013.
Suda, A. O., Sušnik, J., Masia, S., & Jewitt, G. (2024). Policy coherence assessment of water, energy, and food resources policies in the Tana River Basin, Kenya. Environmental Science & Policy, 159, 103816.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2006). Human development report 2006: Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. United Nations Development Programme.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2015). Water in a changing world: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2015. United Nations World Water Assessment Programme.
UN-Water. (2007). Coping with water scarcity: Challenge of the twenty-first century. United Nations.
Van der Zaag, P., & Savenije, H. H. (2014). Integrated water resources management: Concepts and issues. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 33, 290-298.
Van Vliet, M. T., Wiberg, D., Leduc, S., & Riahi, K. (2016). Power-generation system vulnerability and adaptation to changes in climate and water resources. Nature Climate Change, 6(4), 375-380.
Wachira, T. R. (2014). Integrated water resources management strategy and its effects on human water security in Kenya: A case of the Mara River Basin. University of Nairobi.
World Water Council. (2000). Vision 21: The shared vision of the water community. World Water Council.
