Capital access key for Kenya’s water security

For many communities across Western Kenya, access to clean water remains a daily challenge with financing remaining a key obstacle to investment in water and sanitation.

Contractors responsible for building pipelines, treatment plants and sanitation systems struggle to access affordable capital needed to mobilise equipment, hire workers and keep projects moving before payments are received.

NCBA Bank, Water.org and the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency (LVNWWDA) are seeking to address this financing gap through a collaboration designed to boost the contractor ecosystem in Kenya’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.

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At a forum in Kakamega attended by more than 100 contractors, the partners outlined the available financing solutions aimed at improving project delivery while supporting long-term sustainability in the sector.

Accessing Funding

The initiative enables contractors to access funding ranging from Sh300,000 to Sh500 million, including equipment financing, project financing and unsecured facilities of up to Sh6 million backed by project contracts and receivables rather than traditional collateral.

However, beyond the numbers, the significance of the aspiring initiative lies in what faster and more reliable project delivery could mean for communities in the targeted regions.

Water infrastructure sits at the intersection of several national priorities: public health, food security, economic growth and climate resilience.

Reliable Water Access

Reliable water access improves household health outcomes, supports agricultural production, strengthens local economies and helps communities withstand increasingly frequent climate-related shocks such as droughts and erratic rainfall.

“Water infrastructure remains one of the most critical enablers of economic growth, public health, food security and climate resilience,” opined Robert Kiboti, the Director of Corporate and SME Banking at NCBA Bank.

He believes through the partnership between NCBA, Water.org and LVNWWDA, the financing will help build an ecosystem that accords contractors access to the capital, liquidity and financial solutions they need to deliver projects efficiently and sustainably.

“Ultimately, this translates into improved access to water and sanitation for communities across Kenya,” Kiboti went on.

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The Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency says alliance between financiers, contractors and implementing agencies is pivotal as demand for water infrastructure grows.

“As we work to expand access to water and sanitation services across our region, strong partnerships between implementing agencies, financiers and contractors are essential,” intimated LVNWWDA representative Mark Kanda.

Vast Opportunities

For contractors on the ground, projects cannot move without working capital hence the move to transform these challenges in order to convert hurdles into vast opportunities.

“Without adequate liquidity, it becomes difficult to mobilise resources, keep projects on schedule and deliver the quality infrastructure that communities need,” averred Samuel Mukanzi, Managing Director of Barbrican Dimensions Limited.

Change The Story

The initiative aligns with NCBA’s sustainability-focused Change The Story agenda, which aims to support projects that generate measurable social, economic and environmental impact.

By enabling faster delivery of water and sanitation infrastructure, the programme contributes to healthier communities, stronger local economies and greater resilience to climate-related challenges.

As Kenya works towards realising universal access to clean water and sanitation, financing may prove to be as just as important as engineering.

After all, each pipeline laid, each treatment facility completed and every community connected to clean water represents an investment in people, livelihoods and a more sustainable future.