Your right to clean water, and who is responsible for it
Constitution of Kenya; Water Act, 2016 · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Everyone in Kenya has the right to clean and safe water in adequate quantities and to reasonable standards of sanitation. Water and sanitation services are a county function, delivered by county water companies that WASREB regulates.
- Where
- Your county water company first; then WASREB (wasreb.go.ke, info@wasreb.go.ke, +254 709 482000).
Steps
- Complain to your water company first. Every water company must have a way to handle customer complaints.
- If it is not fixed, complain to WASREB, the national water regulator, online, by email, by phone or at its office.
- If you believe your right to water is being denied or violated, you can go to court under the Bill of Rights.
Watch out
- The State must achieve this right progressively, through laws, policies and standards, rather than all at once.
- Water and sanitation services are run by counties, through water companies the county sets up, not by the national government.
Who this covers
- Every person in Kenya.
Official sources (3)
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 new.kenyalaw.org · read 2 Oct 2026
- The Water Act, 2016 (No. 43 of 2016) wasreb.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Complaints handling mechanisms wasreb.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026