CS Mugaa tells counties, State to settle water disputes before seeking Ruto's intervention

The national government and counties should use existing structures to settle water-sector disagreements instead of turning every dispute into a matter for President William Ruto, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa has said. Mugaa said the Water Sector Steering Committee (WASCOM) should take the lead in dealing with disagreements over water boundaries, tariffs, abstraction and the sharing of water resources. He said WASCOM's working and thematic groups provide a forum where national agencies and county governments can discuss their differences, negotiate and reach consensus. 'Our issues, boundaries, tariffs, abstraction, and sharing of natural resources, especially water, being a transboundary water resource, cannot be escalated every time to the President's level,' he said on Tuesday. Mugaa spoke on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at the CS's office during a meeting to review resolutions adopted at the first WASCOM meeting held at Maji House. The CS said the Constitution requires the national and county governments to work together, particularly in areas where their responsibilities overlap. He said the water sector requires both levels of government to coordinate their work instead of focusing on which administration has responsibility for a particular service. 'This is the spirit of intergovernmental relations,' Mugaa said. According to the CS, the priority should be the services received by ordinary Kenyans rather than the government entity responsible for providing them. 'Kenyans do not care whether the water is provided by whatever entity. The national government and the county government must work together, and the effort is felt at the mwananchi level,' he said. WASCOM adopts coordination roadmap The meeting brought together Mugaa and his co-chair, Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, EGH, who chairs the Council of Governors Water and Natural Resources Committee. Officials from the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, the Council of Governors, Tana Water Works Development Agency, the African Population and Health Research Center and other development partners also took part in the review. Mugaa said the meeting considered and adopted resolutions reached during the inaugural WASCOM meeting. He said WASCOM would serve as a joint platform for the national and county governments to align sector goals, policies, standards and priorities. 'The Water Sector Inter-Governmental Coordination Framework Implementation Roadmap now has an agreed operational structure,' he said. With the coordination framework now agreed, Mugaa said attention would shift to putting it into action and improving water and sanitation services. He said the government's focus was to turn cooperation between the two levels of government into practical results for Kenyans. 'Our task is clear: convert coordination into results — reliable water, sustainable sanitation, and responsible management of Kenya's water resources for all Kenyans,' he said. The framework is expected to give counties and national government agencies a formal avenue for addressing disputes and policy concerns within the water sector before such matters are taken to higher political levels.