Assessment Of The Contribution Of Community Participation To Sustainability Of Donor-Funded Boreholes In Arid And Semi-Arid Lands Of Pokot South Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Access to water resources is a whole family concern, finding safe and clean water especially in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) in Kenya is a daily challenge for young boys, mothers and daughters who in most homes are tasked with sourcing and providing water for their family. Basing on this, the purpose of this study was to assess how community participation contributes to the sustainability of donor funded boreholes in ASAL areas in Kenya and especially in Pokot South Sub-County. More specifically, the study sought to establish the community’s cost sharing efforts regarding sustainability of donor funded boreholes, to assess the level of community involvement in sustainability of donor funded boreholes in Pokot South Sub-County, and to establish the community organization structures put in place in relation to sustainability of donor-funded boreholes. This study is of benefit to the Pokot South Sub-County residents, donors and the government agencies as it sheds light on the mechanisms available as far as community participation and sustainability of the donor funded boreholes in the Sub-County is concerned. The study was justified on grounds that issues pertaining access to water resources especially in ASAL areas has not been focused so much despite them forming part of SDGs Based on the objectives of the study, a descriptive research design was adopted. Under it, a survey method was used to solicit information from the residents of Pokot South Sub-County. The data collection tool wasa research questionnaire which was administered to selected household heads in the Sub-County. The questionnaire contained both structured and unstructured questions. Purposive sampling and random sampling techniques were applied in picking the sample from the target population. The sample size comprised of 268 household heads. Each of the four Wards namely: Batei, Lelan, Chepareria and Chepgobegh provided 67 household heads for the study. Other data gathering methods that were adopted by the study are key informant interviews and focused group discussions with residents (who were not be picked for administration of questionnaire). The collected data was analyzed via the help of the Statistical Packages for Social Scientists (SPSS) and is presented in tables for ease of understanding.The study found out that the main sources of water were streams/rivers (44.8%) and borehole (35.7%). 65.8% of the sampled household heads in Pokot South Sub-County stated that they had at least come across an average of 10 boreholes in the area and only10.4% of them had seen at least 20 donor funded boreholes. The study also found out that 51.8% of the sampled residents said that the main financiers of the boreholes in the area were donors and that 53.9% of the donor funded boreholes were fully functional with the remaining ones being either in a state of disrepair (29.5%), vandalized (7.3%) or abandoned (6.7%). The findings show that 67.9% of the respondents had ever contributed towards the successful implementation of the said donor funded boreholes and the management of the said boreholes were vested upon village elders (39.3%) and area chiefs and sub-chiefs (35.4%) who either mandated themselves (26.4%) or were appointed by the donor of the said project (27.5%). The study recommends that there is an urgent need for the County Government of West Pokot and in collaboration with the national government to step up the exercise of providing safe drinking water to the residents of Pokot South Sub-County and other counties in ASAL as most ofthese population are in dire need of the commodity and most of them depend on unsafe sources.