Research article Volume 3 Issue 3 - July 2017 DOI: 10.19080/IJESNR.2017.03.555615 Int J Environ Sci Nat Res Copyright © All rights are reserved by Muhammad Ilyas Community Based Water Resource Conservation in the Southern Rangelands of Kenya SO Jawuoro 1 *, JS Mbau 1 , OK Koech 1 and GN Karuku 1 Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology (LARMAT), University of Nairobi, Kenya Submission: June16, 2017; Published: July 14, 2017 *Corresponding author: SO Jawuoro, Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya, Email: Introduction Water insecurity has been linked to poverty and disease in most parts of the world, as impeded access and affordability of water hampers human well-being and development [1-3]. In order to address the water crisis, there have been concerted efforts by several stakeholders especially in rangelands of Africa, where both statutory and customary set-ups play major roles in water management [4]. These efforts have been triggered by the realization that natural resource dependent economies such as pastoralism are vulnerable to climate change and variability, and as such, possess low adaptive capacity [5-7]. Kenya instituted key reforms in her water sector, culminating in the enactment of the Water Act (2002), and subsequent establishment of various Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs) by the Water Resource Management Authority [8,9]. Some of the responsibilities on water management were decentralized to lower government institutions; non- governmental organizations were mandated to provide water and manage water resources, provision of water resources was alienated from Water Resource Management Authority and policy making disintegrated from daily operations of institutions dealing in water [10,11]. The Act vested the power to manage water resources on the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA), with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation playing the policy and oversight role. The WRUAs were formed and exempt from supplying water, yet mandated to conserve water resources at the local level [12]. Community based water resource management through the WRUAs has gained popularity in most parts of Kenya [10,12]. WRUAs have been identified as key instruments in improving water access and availability especially in the rangelands where land degradation and low rainfall have limited the capacity of ecosystems to provide adequate water resources [13,14]. This can be achieved by formulation of conservation strategies unique to particular regions’ climatic conditions and livelihood options. Currently, there is a spill of population from urban centers into the rangelands of Kenya and as such, water demand in these areas has been further stretched beyond the supply [15]. Int J Environ Sci Nat Res 3(3): IJESNR.MS.ID.555615 (2017) 001 Abstract Water insecurity is a threat to pastoral livelihoods and sustainability. The Water Act of 2002 created the Water Resource Users’ Associations (WRUAs) to enhance water resource conservation and enhance water access at the local level. Yet, environmental degradation has increased in recent times, further exacerbating water crisis and threatening livelihoods. This study sought to assess the status of community based water resource conservation in the Southern rangelands of Kajiado, Kenya. Kiserian WRUA members were purposively sampled for this survey. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were also conducted to validate the data. Chi-square and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 20. Results indicated that access to information on water resource management was significantly associated (χ2=0.56, p≤0.05) with membership to the WRUA. Majority (79.5%) of the Kiserian WRUA members had participated in tree planting within the catchment. Half (50%) of the WRUA members were mainly motivated to join the association because of perceived benefits like improved access to water at lower prices and participation in catchment protection. The main challenge facing the WRUA was lack of funds (93.2%). This study recommends awareness to increase WRUA membership and allocation of sufficient funding from the government and other related stakeholders to WRUA conservation activities, if catchment conservation for improved water access in the area is to be realized. Keywords: Kiserian; Community Based Water Resource Conservation; Water Resource Users Association Abbreviations: WRUA: Water Resource Users Associations; WRMA: Water Resource Management Authority; WSP: Water Service Providers