A one day stakeholder engagement workshop was held at the Kisumu Hotel on 14th June 2016 from 8.00 am to 5.00pm. The workshop was organized by the AfriWatSan Kenya team led by the PI, Prof. D. Olago, CO-PIs, Dr. R. Ayah and Dr. S. Dulo and the PhD student, Mr. J. Kanoti, in collaboration with the Department of Geology, University of Nairobi. The workshop was funded under Africa Capacity Building Initiative of The Royal Society and UK government’s Department for International Development.
Figure 1: Group photograph during the Workshop. Front row from left is Dr. R. Ayah, Ms. S. Kanga, Prof. N. Opiyo, Dr. D. Ichang’i, Prof. B. Aduda, Prof. C. Nyamai, Prof. D. Olago and Ms. J. Ogonda.
The objective of the workshop was to engage with the stakeholders from the onset by sharing the project aim, objectives and the expected outcomes, and to build collaborative networks with them.
Following an opening prayer, Dr. D. Ichang’i, the Chairman of the Department of Geology, University of Nairobi and Prof. C. Nyamai, the Dean, School of Physical Sciences, University of Nairobi, made their opening remarks at the workshop. The workshop was then officially opened by Prof. B. Aduda, The Principal, College of Biological and Physical Sciences, University of Nairobi.
The workshop itself consisted of presentations by the AfriWatSan team followed by group discussions. Participants were taken through the Global Overview of AfriWatSan Project & Workshop Objectives, followed by the Situation Analysis of the Kisumu Observatory by Prof. D. Olago.
Figure 2: Prof. D. Olago making his presentation on Global Overview of AfriWatSan Project & Workshop Objectives during the Workshop.
This introductory presentation was followed by a presentation by Dr. S. Dulo on Water Supplies and Sanitation Infrastructure.
Figure 3: Dr. S. Dulo presenting on Water Supplies and Sanitation Infrastructure.
Then, Dr R. Ayah presented a paper on Water, Sanitation and Health and finally the PhD student, Mr J. Kanoti made a presentation on the Urban Aquifers Characterization.
Figure 3: Dr R. Ayah presenting a paper on Water, Sanitation and Health
The Workshop was officially closed by the Kisumu County Minister for Water, Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Prof. Barrack Abonyo. The minister informed the participants that Kisumu County faces sanitation challenges and most residents rely on pit latrines and septic tanks for sanitation. The Minister highlighted some measures he had taken for the last three years to ensure that the residents of Kisumu got enough and quality water. The Minister’s slogan is “clean water for health and water for food security”. The main achievements attained by the County Government under his leadership are: Expansion of the Kajulu water intake to supplement the Dunga intake plant, drilling of boreholes in peri-urban areas (20 this year), and use of solar powered pumping system to lower power costs.
Please refer to the following link for much more information about the workshop.