The work of the PRESA project could form the basis of a larger programme by partners in Mount Kenya East who aim at conserving the entire Tana River catchment in central Kenya.

Left to right: Peter Ngubu (Water Resources Management Authority - Kenya), Bernadette Neves (IFAD reviewer), Boro Gathuo (Green Water Credits) and Delia Catacutan (World Agroforestry Centre) during a stopover at the Thiba River catchment.

A reviewer from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was in Kenya late July to find out exactly how payments for watershed services could work in such a programme.

Ms Bernadette Neves held exploratory discussions with the PRESA and Green Water Credits teams in Nairobi. She also met officers of the Mount Kenya East Pilot Programme for Natural Resource Management (MKEPP) in Embu.

During her trip, Ms Neves met Kenya government officials and visited local communities in various parts of the Upper Tana catchment.

The Tana is Kenya’s largest river. Apart from providing water to homes, small scale and large scale farms and industry, the Tana drives a series of state-owned hydro electric stations providing more than half of the country’s electricity needs. Therefore, the sustainable management of the watershed area is crucial for adequate, clean water supplies throughout the year.

PRESA, MKEPP and Green Water Credits are already working with communities in Mount Kenya East to conserve the watershed function of the land. These partner organizations are now interested in expanding from Mount Kenya East to cover Mount Kenya west, south and the Aberdare Mountains.

While in Nairobi, Ms Neves visited the Equity Bank headquarters, where she learnt that the bank can join a scheme in which it offers small loans to farmers that agree to implement specific land conservation measures. In the initial phase of such a project, the bank insists on a credit guarantee to shield itself from possible losses by loan defaulters. However, if the loans issued in the first phase are recovered, then a credit guarantee is no longer necessary in subsequent phases of the project.

Micro-credit is viewed as a sustainable means of paying for watershed protection compared to cash handouts, whose sources inevitably get exhausted.

During her week-long tour, Ms Neves was accompanied by Delia Catacutan of the World Agroforestry Centre and Dr. Boro Gakuo of Green Water Credits. Meetings with communities in the Tana catchment were organized by officials of the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA) from the Embu and Kerugoya regional offices.

Group photo with members of the Mukengeria Water Resource Users Association and government officers. This was part of visits to community groups during the PRESA Mid-Term Review. The Reviewer, Ms Bernadette Neves, is at the centre of the photo.