What was the challenge?
Across many parts of Kenya, communities understand the challenges affecting their local water resources better than anyone else. They know where rivers are degrading, where springs have dried up, and which interventions are most urgently needed. Yet, despite this local knowledge, community priorities often fail to influence public investment because they are not translated into structured plans that government institutions can finance and implement.
What did CESPAD do?
Recognizing this gap, the Centre for Social Planning and Administrative Development (CESPAD) adopted a participatory approach to catchment planning under its Promoting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Kenya project. Rather than prescribing solutions, CESPAD worked alongside Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), county governments, the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), and local communities to develop Sub-Catchment Management Plans (SCMPs) that reflected local priorities and aligned them with county planning processes.
One of the most significant examples emerged in Kasikeu, Makueni County, where communities identified declining river flows, unsustainable sand harvesting and inadequate water storage as major threats to livelihoods and local development. Through a series of participatory consultations, community members analysed the condition of their catchment, prioritized restoration measures and jointly developed a Sub-Catchment Management Plan that provided a practical roadmap for improving water security.
What was produced?
Unlike many community plans that remain unimplemented due to lack of ownership or financing, the Kasikeu plan was developed with active participation from county government officials and technical agencies. This collaborative process strengthened confidence in the proposed interventions and ensured that the priorities identified by the community were integrated into county planning discussions.
What changed?
The participatory process produced a tangible outcome. Following the completion of the Sub-Catchment Management Plan, the County Government of Makueni allocated KSh 2.3 million for the construction of a sand dam along the Kaluku River—a direct investment arising from the planning process.
The investment represented far more than the construction of water infrastructure. It demonstrated that organized communities, supported by credible technical processes and effective stakeholder engagement, can successfully influence public investment decisions. The sand dam became a practical response to local water challenges while reinforcing confidence that community priorities can shape government action.
What did we learn?
The experience also highlighted the value of participatory planning as a governance tool. By involving communities, county governments and technical institutions from the outset, CESPAD helped build shared ownership of both the planning process and the resulting investments. Rather than viewing communities as passive beneficiaries, the initiative positioned them as active partners in identifying challenges, proposing solutions and influencing development priorities.
Beyond the immediate investment, the process strengthened relationships between local institutions and government, improved trust among stakeholders and demonstrated the importance of evidence-based planning in mobilizing public resources. It also reinforced the role of Water Resource Users Associations as legitimate platforms for representing community interests in water governance and catchment management.
The Kasikeu experience offers an important lesson for sustainable development. Community participation is most effective when it moves beyond consultation to genuine co-creation of solutions that inform government planning and budgeting. Well-developed Sub-Catchment Management Plans provide a bridge between local knowledge and public investment, ensuring that limited financial resources are directed towards interventions that respond to real community needs.
Our work in Kasikeu illustrates that lasting change is achieved not only through funding projects but also by strengthening the systems through which communities influence development decisions. By combining participatory planning, institutional collaboration and evidence-based advocacy, we transformed a community development priority into a publicly financed investment that continues to support water security and catchment restoration.
The experience demonstrates that sustainable water governance begins with listening to communities, building consensus and creating credible plans that governments are willing to invest in. Through its participatory approach to catchment planning, CESPAD showed that when communities and institutions plan together, development priorities move beyond paper and become lasting investments that improve livelihoods, strengthen resilience and secure water resources for future generations.