Will Community-based Water Management Solve Africa’s Water Problems? The performance of Water Resource User Asocciations in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro river basin, Kenya

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2012-08
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en
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Abstract
In Sub-Saharan Africa insecure access to water for consumption and productive use is a major constraint for poverty reduction. For millions of smallholder farmers, fishermen and herders in SSA, water is one of the most important production assets. Therefore, securing access to and control and management of water is key to enhancing their livelihoods. Furthermore, in less developed countries environmental conflict is likely to happen because there is high population growth and high dependency on renewable resources such as water. To reduce these conflicts, water as a natural resource should be well managed. Various strategies for water management are introduced to overcome the lack of water and related conflicts. In 2002 the Kenyan government introduced a new Water Act to this end. In this act the Local community based Water Resource User Associations (WRUAs) are legally recognized. Community based management is considered to be the key solution to prevent outbreaks of violence over water resources. The central hypothesis of the thesis is that ‘Water Resource User Associations which are formed under the 2002 Water Act, positively affect cooperation over water resources and these organizations will help to avoid conflict between the different water users in the changing rural water situation in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro River Basin in Kenya’.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen