Community Project Cycle

The Kenya Water and Sanitation Programme (KWSP) comprised three major components: Water Resources Management (WRM); Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS); and Support to Water Sector Reform (WSR). This assignment was carried out in support of the RWSS Component, for which the immediate aims and associated outputs of the RWSS were: the institutions supporting rural water supply and sanitation at national level functions operating effectively and efficiently and in a demand responsive manner; increased access to safe and sustainable water supply in rural communities; and hygiene awareness.

The Community Project Cycle (CPC) is a national process for planning, funding, implementation and monitoring of water and sanitation investments that are implemented by rural communities. The CPC regulates the interaction and responsibilities between the funding agency Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF), the Water Services Boards (WSBs), Support Organisations (SOs), Quality Control Agents (QCAs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs). The CPC process was a key activity of the KWSP since preparation of the inception report in March 2005 and aimed to form a cornerstone of KWSP support to community water initiatives needs through process of discussions and consensus. The CPC promotes self-reliance and poverty alleviation not only through support to improved water service provision, but also through support to school sanitation, health and environmental hygiene improvement and the protection of water sources. Communities are supported in making an application and implementing a water supply and sanitation project.

The objective of the assignment was to support CPC implementation at community level, strengthen linkages between the WSBs and stakeholders, and contribute to establishing the necessary regulatory support and cooperation at ministerial levels. Assistance aimed at induction and training of the WSBs, SOs, and QCA with the CPC implementation strategies involving environment, sanitation and health (ESH) activities. Assistance was provided in the form of a team of specialised consultants in order to address the diverse needs of both the communities and WSBs. The services requested ranged from advising on water and sanitation technology and design alternatives, developing model application forms and guidelines for easy adoption by communities so that they themselves could initiate water supply/sanitation activities, all the way to contract and regulatory issues, and community development and awareness creation that integrated cross-cutting issues into planning and implementation.