COP in Marakwet: It was KARAM SANA!

Ms Elizabeth Gachenga, a law lecturer researching her PhD, and her colleagues Cynthia Liavule and Judy Ng’eny interviewed the residents of Sambalat on the customary system of water management in the community.

Other members including EudeWanjiru, Cynthia Njeri, and Roselyne Warau taught basic skills on book keeping and hygiene. Water is a precious resource at Sambalat. It is mainly sourced from River Embobut.

Over the last 200 years, water for irrigation and domestic use has found its way from the highlands to the valleys via irrigation furrows constructed by clan elders and managed under a customary system that continues to date.

There is consensus in the community on how water is distributed. Water for irrigation is distributed to households for irrigation in accord with a time schedule based on principles of equity, that take into consideration the household size, farming needs, and other social circumstances.

An underlying understanding that water is a life line ensures that water for domestic use is accessible to all at no cost.

The quality of water at the source is fairly high. However, it is sometimes compromised in the course of its flow through the furrows. The students discussed with community members ways of improving the quality of water for domestic use.

A booming mango business has improved the lives of many households in Sambalat. COP members had interesting sessions on book keeping and business improvement strategies with two women groups in the area.

The trip provided useful insights on the customary system of managing water resources and the interface between this system and the statutory system for managing water resources under the Water Act 2002.

Both systems have the objective of developing a sustainable water resource management system. All the community members interviewed agreed that there is a need to find legal strategies of ensuring statutory systems draw on the strengths of the existing customary systems for managing water.

The water and sanitation sessions would not have been possible without the financial and technical assistance from H Two O Limited of Brazafric group of companies. The company organized a training session for the participants on community driven strategies for healthier water and sanitation practices in a rural setting.

Mr Chetan Kotak, the Managing Director of H Two O demonstrated to the students the hidden impurities and harmful elements that can be present in water and taught them how to purify water in a cost effective way.

The hospitality of the Marakwet and the help of David Kisang and Harrison Kisang (no relation) made the entire experience invaluable. As they say in Marakwet, the trip was truly: karamsana– that is very good!