Abstract:
New institutions emanating from the water sector reforms are expected to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in the management
of water resources, thus leading to enhance water security in all the catchment areas. For inclusion and ownership of their
management programmes on the ground, community members are required to actively get involved in the planning and
management processes. How would the existing Community Water Management Systems (CWMSs) be integrated in the legal and
institutional frameworks guiding the development, supply, utilization and conservation of water resources under the jurisdiction
of a Water Resource Users’ Association (WRUA)? This study seeks to unveil some demographic, economic, social and cultural
aspects that should have been taken into consideration by the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) when drafting a
Sub-Catchment Management Plan for Ngaciuma-Kinyaritha WRUA, which came into existence in 2006. The study mainly uses
descriptive statistics and a Profit regression to derive significant parameters determining domestic water security in the
Ngaciuma-Kinyaritha Catchment. Most of the results reveal that domestic water security in this catchment clearly relies on
CWMSs through their catchment management practices and water supply by-laws and tools. There is thus a need for the new
WRUA and WSPs to improve their collaboration with CWMSs in the future.
