Rural water supply agency maps route to 90pc coverage by 2031 in Sh5.2 trillion plan

Alfred Zacharia is a business reporter for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers.

Dodoma. The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (Ruwasa) plans to raise rural water coverage from 85.2 percent to at least 90 percent by 2030/31, but faces a Sh3 trillion financing gap to achieve the target.

The agency says it needs Sh5.184 trillion to implement its 2026/27–2030/31 Strategic Plan, while conventional public financing is expected to provide only Sh2.184 trillion.

The shortfall has prompted Ruwasa to seek alternative sources of funding, including Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), private investment, internally generated revenue and climate finance.

Ruwasa Director of Planning Enock Wagala said diversifying financing would be necessary to implement the agency’s priorities.

“We need to expand funding channels to ensure that the strategic priorities are implemented as planned,” he said.