Kenya eyes Azerbaijan's expertise to boost water supply, agricultural infrastructure

Recent discussions between Kenya’s Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation and Sultan Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Kenya, have focused on potential areas of collaboration.

Kenya’s Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation is exploring ways to utilise Azerbaijan’s expertise to enhance its water supply, sanitation, and agricultural infrastructure, Caliber.Az quotes Kenya's Ministry as saying in a post on X.

“The Ministry is keen to leverage on Azerbaijan expertise in infrastructure for Water Sanitation and agriculture sectors,” the post says.

Notably, in Kenya, a nation of approximately 40 million people, around 17 million equivalent to 43 per cent lack access to clean water. This persistent issue has been exacerbated by recurrent droughts, poor water management, contamination of existing resources, and rising demand driven by high population growth.

Water shortages not only impact food security but have also contributed to violent conflicts in the region.

The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where government investment in water infrastructure has been minimal.

Many urban poor Kenyans are forced to rely on polluted water sources, leading to cholera outbreaks and other health problems.

The disparity in access is stark: while 85% of the urban population has access to safe water, less than half of the rural population does.

The World Bank projects that by 2025, per capita water availability in Kenya will plummet to 235 cubic meters annually two two-thirds less than the current 650 cubic meters if current trends continue.