Reinvigorating the Role of Water Kiosks in Sustaining Resilience in Rural Livelihoods During Climate Change Related Water Shortages: The case of Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

The UN SDG6 has listed ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all, with appreciation of the water access, equitability, safety, affordability and community participation.
However, accessibility and safety of water for households are affected by the climatic changes, especially
during prolonged and frequent droughts. The objective of this study was to assess the role of the borehole
water kiosks for sustaining resilience of community water supply during climate change-related water
shortages within Kisumu County, Kenya. Data was collected from 460 households as respondents, and 3
focus group discussions (FGDs) with 36 participants distributed across three Sub-Counties of Kisumu in
Kenya. The household questionnaires were administered to respondents randomly selected from 31 water
kiosks extended from 9 boreholes. The generated household data was analyzed through descriptive and
inferential statistics using SPSS software. Three FGDs were each undertaken in every selected
Sub-County, with discussions audio-recorded, transcribed, translated and then analyzed using NVivo.
The three key informant interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed through the NVivo software.
The findings showed that many households had seasonal source-switching for livelihood water needs. For
instance, 77.6% of households collected their drinking water from borehole water kiosks during dry
seasons. The reasons why the households collected water from the borehole water kiosks included being
the only source (45%) and or these drinking water sources were the closest to their houses (39%). Over
67% of the households reported to be collecting drinking water twice in a day from these borehole water
kiosks, with a round trip of about 30 minutes. The relationships between the households’ choice of water
source, frequency and number of times of collecting water for livelihood and the gender of the household
headship were found to be statistically significant during dry seasons. There is therefore need to
undertake further investigation on the impact of climate change-related shortages on female-headed
households’ livelihoods and improving the conditions of service of borehole water kiosks, especially in
Nyakach Sub-County.
Keywords: Climate change, water kiosk, dry seasons, households, boreholes