Water Access in the Turkana Basin

The Challenge

In Turkana, water determines settlement patterns more than any other factor. Existing boreholes relied on diesel pumps that communities could not consistently fuel or maintain, leaving systems idle for months at a time and forcing multi-day treks to alternative sources during dry seasons.

Our Approach

We co-financed a solar-pump retrofit and maintenance programme alongside a regional water authority and a Kenyan engineering partner, structuring the investment as a long-dated concession rather than a grant, with local technician training built into the contract from year one.

Impact

Forty-one boreholes now run on solar power with battery storage for night-time pumping. Average system uptime rose from an estimated 40 percent to above 92 percent within eighteen months, and the maintenance contracts have created 63 long-term local technical roles.

Future Outlook

We are evaluating an extension of the model into neighbouring Marsabit County, contingent on the same governance structure that made Turkana work: local ownership of maintenance, not just installation.