www.statusin.org

Name of the Organization : Water Services & Trust Fund
Type of Facility : How to Access Funding
Country : Kenya

Website : https://waterfund.go.ke/

How to Access Funding :

We are a national body mandated to mobilize resources for underserved areas in rural and informal settlements in urban Kenya.

Related : Retirement Benefit Scheme Kenya : www.statusin.org/7085.html

WSTF does this through four instruments (also known as ‘windows’) namely; Community Project Cycle (CPC), Urban Project Cycle (UPC) and Water Resources Users Association Development Cycle (WDC) .

1. The Rural Window:
The Community Project Cycle (CPC), is the rural financing window of Water Services Trust Fund that was fully rolled out in mid-2007. CPC, the oldest of the WSTF windows initially financed projects under Kenya Water and Sanitation Programme known as Non-CPC projects. The CPC provides guidelines for technical and financial support for improved access to water and sanitation to the poorest locations in rural Kenya. This is achieved through working with the Water Services Boards (WSBs) to ensure pro-poor targeting and implementation of projects through legally recognized Community Based Organisations (CBOs). The projects are designed and implemented by the CBOs with professional guidance of the Support Organizations. According to the Water Act, 2002, the CBOs are required to submit their proposals through the WSBs and not directly to WSTF.

Objectives:
CPC aims at enhancing the capacity of communities:
** To initiate and apply for financial support for rural water and sanitation projects
** To manage and implement community water and sanitation projects
** To maintain their own water and sanitation facilities in a sustainable manner

This covers funding for rural water and sanitation namely:
** The Community Project Cycle (CPC) – is our window for rural water and sanitation projects.
** WASH- is a Hygiene and Sanitation programme that WSTF is implementing in partnership with UNICEF and three Government Ministries (Water, Public health & Education.

2. The Urban Window:
The Urban Projects Concept (UPC) was developed in 2007 to respond to the specific water and sanitation challenges of urban low income settlements. UPC works with licensed Water Service Providers (WSPs) to bring formalised servicesto these un-served and underserved areas in Kenya’s cities and towns. By financing projects that incorporate simple, cost effective and sustainable technologies, UPC will have reached 1.4 million people with affordable safe water and 400,000 people with basic adequate sanitation by December 2013. UPC’s main objective is to improve access to sustainable safe water and adequate sanitation for a large proportion of the urban poor in Kenya.

In addition it aims to:
** Better public health
** Improve urban livelihoods
** Reduce unaccounted-for water
** Build capacity at water service provider level

How the UPC works:
The Water Services Trust Fund channels funding from different donor agencies to licensed water service providers. Through calls for proposals (CfP), urban WSPs are invited to submit proposals for the improvement of water supply and sanitation in the low-income areas within their service area. The CfP approach encourages competition and an efficient allocation of funds

3. The Water Resources Management Window:
The Water Resources Users Association Development Cycle (WDC) is the water resources management financing window of Water Services Trust Fund that was developed to support community based activities and stakeholder initiatives to respond to conservation and management of water resources. WDC is based on the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach. The funding is done through Water Resource Users Association (WRUA).

The following funding ceilings have been set according to whether the WRUA has proven itself capable of utilizing and accounting or funds properly

The eligible projects include:
Development of structures geared towards reducing water conflicts.
** Infrastructure planning and development orientated towards improving water availability such as storage water, tree planting, and soil conservation
** Conservation of catchment and riparian areas, reduction in effluent discharge.
** WRUA mobilization
** Monitoring and assessing water resource availability, quality and use;
** Preparation and implementation of water allocation plans and other plans associated with improving water resource management and use;
** Strengthening WRUA management systems (human resources, communication, offices, procedures, and development and implementation of Sub Catchment Management Plans (SCPMs)