Residents oppose plan to dissolve regional development authorities

Chairperson of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development Joseph Munyoro (centre) during a visit to a borehole project implemented by Ewaso Ng’iro Development Authority in Isiolo on October 11, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERA

Residents of Northern Kenya have rejected a proposed law seeking to abolish regional development authorities, warning the move would threaten water access and pastoral livelihoods.

Citing the Ewaso Ng’iro Development Authority (ENNDA), they urged the government to strengthen the authorities instead of dissolving them, citing their role in improving livelihoods.

During a public participation forum in Isiolo town, residents unanimously opposed the Regional Development Authorities (Repeal) Bill, sponsored by National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development, chaired by Kigumo MP Joseph Munyoro, heard submissions from residents who maintained the authorities remained critical in addressing the unique development challenges facing arid and semi-arid lands.

“This institution cuts across 10 counties, and the functions it performs are crucial to the livelihoods of the people of Northern Kenya. Repealing these authorities means threatening the livelihoods of our people,” Isiolo resident Buke Sahid told the committee.

Susan Napeiyo, a resident of Laikipia county, during a public participation forum in Isiolo on October 11, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERAFor decades, ENNDA has implemented projects, including boreholes, water pans, and dams, to improve access to water for domestic consumption, livestock, and agricultural activities.

In Burat ward, Isiolo county, residents said they are already experiencing the benefits of the authority’s interventions after the launch of a borehole water project last month.

Fatuma Adan recalled relying on traditional water scooping methods along riverbeds and sometimes walking more than 20 kilometres in search of the commodity before the project was established.

The new infrastructure, she said, had eased the burden on households, learners and worshippers who previously struggled to access clean water.

“We have had water challenges for a very long time. Sometimes we seek the county’s interventions but they are not sustainable. With this project, we are grateful because we now have clean water for domestic use, learners and the mosque,” she said.

Adan said households had been connected to piped water and supplied with storage tanks, transforming their access to the essential commodity.

Resident Fauzia Hussein said reliable water supplies had also enabled women to establish kitchen gardens and plant trees around their homes, activities that had previously been difficult because of persistent shortages.

Northeastern residents during a public participation forum in Isiolo on October 11, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERAShe said more than 600 households benefiting from the project were being encouraged to grow vegetables and undertake tree planting, improving food security and environmental conservation.

In Chumvi, residents are benefiting from a water pan constructed by ENNDA, serving Meru and Laikipia counties.

Susan Napeiyo said prolonged drought had threatened livelihoods for years, but the availability of water was gradually supporting irrigation and transforming the dry landscape.

Established in 1989 through an Act of Parliament, ENNDA has implemented development projects across the Ewaso Ng’iro basin, including Laikipia.

In Laikipia North, a dam valued at Sh65.5 million serves more than 30,000 pastoralists in Doldol and surrounding areas.

Residents fear that abolishing the authority would interrupt ongoing projects and undermine future interventions in communities grappling with drought and inadequate essential services.

Engineer Joseph Mulwa questioned the rationale behind the proposed dissolution, arguing there was no clear baseline assessment demonstrating why the authorities should be abolished.

He said concerns over overlapping mandates could be addressed through improved coordination and restructuring rather than scrapping the institutions.

“Regional development authorities undertake very serious functions. They coordinate because water, rangelands, wildlife and trees do not recognise administrative boundaries, just as the needs of children and women in arid regions do not,” Mulwa told the committee.

He urged the national government to increase ENNDA’s budget, arguing that allocations to county governments were insufficient to meet the region’s development needs.

Jane Wayuwa, a pastoralist from Marsabit, said the authority had helped cushion vulnerable households against drought and livestock losses.

She said its programmes had created livelihood opportunities for pastoral women, enabling some to support their families and educate their children.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Development committee at the LMD borehole in Isiolo that was constructed by the Ewaso Ng’iro Development Authority /ALICE WAITHERA

Wayuwa urged the government to review the authority’s operations and identify areas requiring improvement instead of abolishing an institution she described as a lifeline for dryland communities.

Embu Woman Representative Pamela Njoki, a member of the parliamentary committee, urged residents to engage with their elected leaders to ensure they also push for their region’s interests during parliamentary debate.

She said MPs needed to attend the proceedings and communicate the concerns raised during public participation.

Munyoro assured participants the committee would accurately present their submissions as part of the legislative process.

Other agencies facing abolition under the proposed law include the Kerio Valley Development Authority, Lake Basin Development Authority, Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority and Coastal Development Authority.

Under the Integrated Regional Development programme, semi-arid areas received Sh3.5 billion in the 2026-27 financial year to fast track regional development.

The funds are intended to support water projects, environmental conservation, drought response, emergency interventions and food security initiatives.

During a public participation forum in Isiolo town, residents unanimously opposed the Regional Development Authorities (Repeal) Bill, sponsored by National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah. Instead, they urged the government to raise their funding and improve their coordination to avoid overlapping mandates.