The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved US $391 million to help finance a major water and sanitation program in Kenya.

    The Kenya Towns Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Program is designed to improve access, quality, availability and sustainability of water supply in 19 towns and wastewater management services in 17 towns across the country, AfDB press release said.

    The program aims to catalyze commercial activities, drive economic growth, improve quality of life of the people and build resilience against climate variability and change. These objectives would be achieved through construction and rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation infrastructure including expansion into informal settlements; and capacity development of water service providers, sector regulators, and women and youth.

    It will provide more than 2.1 million people with reliable and sustainable water supply services and more than 1.3 million people with water-borne sewerage systems. In addition, the program will create more than 15,000 new jobs during and after its implementation.

    The program, to be implemented in 54 months, is estimated to cost US $451.66 million. The Bank’s loans and grants will cover 86.52% of the total program costs. The Government of Kenya will contribute US $60.87 million in counterpart funding.