By Njeri Irungu,
10 March 2026,
Nairobi, Kenya.
A decade of investment in the Upper Tana watershed has strengthened Nairobi’s water security, ensuring cleaner and more reliable water for millions of residents.
The milestone was marked during the tenth anniversary of the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust, where partners highlighted the success of collaboration between government, utilities, private sector players and farming communities in protecting the city’s main water source using nature-based solutions.
Over the years, the initiative has restored degraded landscapes, reduced sediment flowing into rivers and improved dry-season river flows, helping Nairobi cope with growing water demand and climate-related pressures.
According to the Trust, the programme has improved water quality, stabilised river flows and increased the efficiency of water treatment while delivering more than 27 million litres of additional water daily during the dry season.
Speaking at the event, Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno described the initiative as one of Kenya’s most effective public-private partnerships in watershed restoration.
“As pressures on Kenya’s water towers increase due to population growth, land use change and climate impacts, sustained investment is essential,” said Dr. Ng’eno, who urged development partners and the private sector to expand the model across the country.
Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust Trustee President Eddy Njoroge said the programme demonstrates the value of protecting water sources upstream while building strong partnerships.
More than 470,000 acres of farms and forests and about 980 kilometres of rivers are now under improved sustainable management, while over 260,000 farmers have adopted climate-resilient practices, including the installation of 17,000 water pans that harvest more than two billion litres of rainwater annually.
The initiative has also supported the planting of 5.9 million trees, created over 22,000 green jobs and generated about 118 million US dollars in additional income for farmers through fruit, nut and livestock feed value chains.
Water supply risks for Nairobi’s households and businesses have also reduced following a 41 percent drop in turbidity levels, resulting in savings of about 1.2 million US dollars in water treatment costs.
The Upper Tana basin provides about 95 percent of the water used by Nairobi’s 4.8 million residents and supports another five million people living within the basin.
The Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund was launched in 2015 by The Nature Conservancy as Africa’s first initiative of its kind to secure water at its source and has since evolved into an independent public charitable trust.
Partners at the anniversary event called for increased sustainable financing, stronger private-sector participation and deeper community engagement to expand the water-fund model to other Kenyan cities.
