Feminist scholars have highlighted the importance of women’s land rights, and irrigation studies have explored the gendered relationships between land and water rights. However, less research has been conducted which assesses the relationship between water and land rights for domestic and productive purposes. Therefore, by collating community profiles, focus group discussions, interviews and survey data, this study explores women’s rights to land and water within rural communities in Kilifi County, Kenya. It provides interesting insight into the dynamics and negotiations of water access, including the social networks that affect how water transactions take place.
Kenya
Hydrologic Extremes in a Changing Climate: a Review of Extremes in East Africa
This review presents recent research on drivers and typologies of climate extremes across different East African geographies. Droughts and floods remain the major challenges of the region. There are improvements in forecasting these extremes, but further research is required to improve understanding of key drivers and improve information provision for risk-based decision-making.
Story of Change: Turkana Jet research unlocks new understanding of East African droughts
The strength of the Turkana Jet – a wind feature which carries water vapour from the Indian Ocean across East Africa to Central Africa – is underestimated in current weather and climate models. New observations of the jet by researchers from the Kenya Met Department, the University of Nairobi and the University of Oxford have been used as a benchmark for UK Met Office forecasting models for East Africa.
Story of Change: Fit-for-purpose labs for monitoring and managing rural water supplies
In Nepal, Kenya and Bangladesh, researchers working with practitioners and local governments have established fit-for-purpose (FFP) laboratories to support reliable water quality monitoring and operational management of rural water systems
Scaling up results-based funding for rural water services
In 2016, a results-based funding model was developed to improve the reliability of rural drinking water supply services in Kenya. The Water Services Maintenance Trust Fund (WSMTF) has tested a professional service delivery model in two counties and attracted new sources of results-based funds to guarantee water services in rural communities.
Enhancing climate resilience of water, sanitation & hygiene services in healthcare facilities in Kenya
This Story of Change shares findings and implications from a pilot study ran by FundiFix in 12 Health Care Facilities in Kitui, Kenya to test how a professional service delivery model could be applied to HCFs to deliver safe water and soap reliably.
Valley formation aridifies East Africa and elevates Congo Basin rainfall
Published in Nature, this study uncovers how east-west river valleys direct millions of tonnes of water vapour from the Indian Ocean away from East Africa and towards the Congo rainforest, and, in doing so, limit East African rainfall.
Water Services Maintenance Trust Fund Impact Report, 2016-2021
The Water Services Maintenance Trust Fund has tested a professional service delivery model in two counties and attracted new sources of results-based funds to guarantee water services in rural communities. Water users pay an affordable share of the costs to guarantee repairs are completed in a few days rather than weeks or months. This summary reports some of the impacts from maintaining rural handpumps and small piped systems.
Protecting groundwater for climate resilience and water security in Turkana
In Turkana County, research by the University of Nairobi around Lodwar’s underlying aquifers is addressing critical data and knowledge gaps. Groundwater quality mapping indicates areas with poor groundwater quality to inform water infrastructure investments. This work contributing to new policy and practice to protect the Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer System and enhance resilience to climate risks.
REACH Exit Strategy
REACH’s Exit Strategy scopes out actions to promote the legacy of the programme, highlighting opportunities to sustain, scale-up, and scale-out our work.
