A Thika environmentalist has decried the lack of clean and safe drinking water across the country.
He faulted water management bodies for poor management of water points and called for sensitisation of the public on water treatment to keep waterborne diseases at bay.
"Access to clean water can enable counties like Kiambu to break the poverty cycle and prevent diseases that are usually as a result of access to clean water. I once went to Kiandutu slums and was shocked to see residents drinking dirty water," said Duncan Musyoka, and urged relevant bodies across the country to ensure that the public has access to safe and cleaning drinking water.
He said there was need for non-governmental organisations and the private sector to work with communities to ensure sustainable management of water points.
Musyoka, who spoke with Hivisasa.com at his Alisa Plaza office in Thika noted that emphasis should be put on equity in water provision and sustainability of existing water projects as opposed to setting up new ones.
A report by the Joint Monitoring Programme released in 2012 showed that access to safe water supplies throughout Kenya stood at 59 per cent.
The report concluded that there is still an unmet need in rural and urban areas for both water and sanitation.