Kenya in Crisis

Kenya in Crisis

While environmental specialist Jay Graham was in Kenya, he was shocked to find an elderly women retrieving water for her family by carrying a 40-pound can of water on her head. (Hallet) Women and children have to take trips like this to retrieve water. Not only that, but a lot of the water that people have access to is unsanitary and makes people sick. This is a very significant issue, but unfortunately, the Kenyan government has done little to improve the situation.

Kenya is considered one of the most struggling countries in the world. The lack of sanitary water has been an ongoing issue for decades; only a small portion of the land is good for agriculture and there was a recent natural disaster that decreased the functioning of the soil even further (Water in Crisis). Also, most people don’t have close access to any water because it is scarce and have to take a large time in their day to retrieve it.

There are about 13.5 million women who are responsible collecting water. They not
only have to carry a 40 pound gallon of water on their head, but it takes 30 minutes or more.
(Hallett)  While it takes at most a minute to get water from the fridge or sink, those in Kenya
walking long distances and carrying it back to their home is at least 30 times more. Not only
is it hard to get to, but they do all of that work to obtain water that is unsanitary and is making
them sick. It is estimated that about 500 kids die every day in Sub-Saharan Africa due to diseases
from the consumption of unsanitary water. (Goldberg)

The government has yet to take action towards fixing this major problem, and money is not the issue in most cases. They have just not prioritized fixing this over other things. (Vidal) They have made plans to fix it but nothing has been put into action. (galegroup) Many experts and other organizations have come up with plans that are possibilities to help the situation. One such solution is suggested by the Water and Environmental Sanitation program. They are trying to promote safe and sustainable water supplies by improving the management of it to promote sanitation and hygiene specifically in the household, and help with emergency preparedness and emergency response. (UNICEF) The Water Project has also stated that there are other organizations that are “picking up the slack of Kenya's government, providing health care services and water solutions”. (Water in Crisis)

Having access to water is a basic human necessity and right. The government needs
to do more to help solve this major issue in their country. As Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF
regional director for West and Central Africa, said, “It cannot be business as usual… There are a lot
of options on the table; what is not an option is to continue to allow children to pay for our lack of
action.” (UNICEF)

Works Cited

Goldberg, Eleanor. “About 500 Children Die Daily In Sub-Saharan Africa Due To Lack Of Clean Water, Sanitation.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Dec. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/about-500-children-die-daily-in-sub-saharan-africa-due-to-lack-of-clean-water-sanitation_us_56704063e4b0e292150f4310.

Hallett, Vicky. “Millions Of Women Take A Long Walk With A 40-Pound Water Can.” NPR, NPR, 7 July 2016, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/07/07/484793736/millions-of-women-take-a-long-walk-with-a-40-pound-water-can.

“Water and Environmental Sanitation.” UNICEF Worldwide, www.unicef.org/kenya/wes.html.

ic.galegroup.com/ic/gic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&scanId=&query=&docIndex=&source=&prodId=GIC&search_within_results=&p=GIC%3AOVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=los42754&limiter=&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA447048464&windowstate=normal&activityType=BasicSearch&failOverType=&commentary=.

“Water In Crisis - Spotlight Kenya.” The Water Project, thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-kenya.

Vidal, John. “Water and Sanitation Still Not Top Priorities for African Governments.” The Guardian, Guardia News and Media, 30 Aug. 2012, www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/aug/30/water-sanitation-priorities-african-governments.