Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union (EU) and Kenya have joined forces to improve access to water and sanitation in Kisumu, Kenya
On the sidelines of the visit to France of the President of the Republic of Kenya, Uhuru KENYATTA on October 2, financing agreements for the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project (LVWATSAN), a project which aims to improve access to Water and Sanitation in Kisumu, were signed.
A representative of the European Union also a co-financier of the project and French Minister Delegate in charge of Foreign Trade, Franck RIESTER, witnessed the signing ceremony.
The signing of the agreements will pave the way for the implementation of the LVWATSAN, which is financed with a US$23.57mn concessional loan from AFD, a US$41.24mn concessional loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a US$5.89mn grant from the European Union. The government of Kenya will also provide counterpart financing to the project amounting to US$11.78mn.
The project is set to expand the water and sanitation distribution network in Kisumu, including to informal settlements and expand water supply to the satellite towns of Ahero and Maseno. Additionally, there will be a component for water quality monitoring for Lake Victoria, aimed at protecting this shared regional water resource and also ensure that the water treatment process is more efficient. The project will be implemented by the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency (LVSWWDA).
Since 2005, AFD has financed the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply and sanitation infrastructure in the city, which greatly augmented Kisumu’s water production capacity and resulted in Kisumu being one of the few cities in the country that can provide those connected to the water network, with access to clean water 24 hours a day/seven days a week.
The city’s water and sanitation network will now benefit from significant extension thanks to this new financing from the AFD, EIB and EU, and thus help cover for the population’s needs until 2030.
“As the first bilateral financier of the water and sanitation sector in Kenya, with commitments standing at approximately 600 M EUR over the past 20 years, AFD is proud to improve access to safe drinking water for the population of Kisumu while protecting this scarce resource through enhanced quality monitoring – in other words, to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by helping the people and protecting the planet. Thousands of Kenyans living on the shores of Lake Victoria will benefit from the financial support of AFD which has granted a EUR 20M concessional loan as part of a Team Europe effort that will further reinforce the positive social and environmental impacts of this impressive water project,” AFD CEO Rémy Rioux said.
