By Njeri Murigi | healthjournalist3@gmail.com
Every morning before sunrise, Diana Nduku Mutua would begin the long, exhausting walk to fetch water for her family. During the dry months, the journey stretched up to 10 kilometres, a burden she had carried for years as droughts intensified in Cheteni village, Makueni County. “I would spend almost half the day searching for water,” she recalls. “By the time I got home, I would be too tired to do anything else.”
Like thousands of women across this semi-arid region, Mutua bore the invisible weight of climate change: shrinking water sources, longer treks, missed opportunities and constant uncertainty. But today, her life looks very different. Thanks to the construction of the Wautu Kyangaati Sand Dam water project, which became operational earlier this year. Nduku’s household now has piped water right at her home eliminating the long walks that once shaped her entire day.
A sand dam is a simple wall built across a seasonal river to trap sand and rainwater. The sand holds the water underground, keeping it clean and reducing evaporation. Wautu Kyangaati Sand Dam water project, is a Sh16 million (US$ 124,000) initiative funded by the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) program.
FLLoCA is a five-year initiative by the Government of Kenya, supported by World Bank in collaboration with other donors, implemented by the National Treasury through the Program Implementation Unit (NTPIU) and the County Governments through the County Climate Change Units (CCCUs). The aim of the program is delivering locally-led climate resilience actions and strengthening county and national governments’ capacity to manage climate risk.
The project, located in Kaiti sub-county’s Ilima ward, has so far benefited more than 8,700 people by providing a steady water supply for farming and household use.
“Now water comes straight to my house. I don’t walk anywhere. I just open the taps and the water flows freely,” she says.
Freed from hours of water collection, Nduku has transformed her small farm into a thriving agribusiness. She now grows spinach, kales, onions and tomatoes harvesting and selling produce almost every week. Her journey illustrates how climate solutions do more than provide water they restore time, dignity and economic power to women who have historically shouldered the burden of climate stress. “I no longer depend on my husband when I need money,” she says proudly. “This farming gives me income. I can buy food, pay for school items and other expenses and even save.”
Water availability has also sparked another shift in Cheteni. While vegetable farming was traditionally considered ‘women’s work,’ done close to the home and generating limited income, the arrival of reliable water has changed both its economics and the gender dynamics of farming. Men are now entering this space. Richard Kimeu, for example, has taken up vegetable farming because it provides fast harvests and steady income, helping him expand production, boost earnings and support his household’s resilience.
“Since we started getting water from the sand dam in March this year, the difference is visible. I can now harvest vegetables for sale every week. I opted for vegetables because they have ready market,” says Kimeu. Yet even with this shift, women remain the biggest beneficiaries, because water access directly addresses the obstacles they faced for generations: time poverty, unpaid labour and limited opportunities for economic participation.
According to Kennedy Kioko, chairman Ilima ward climate change planning committee, the project consists of the construction of one sand dam along river Wautu, 100,000 litres sump tank, 100,000 masonry water tank, installation of a gravity line with two communal water points and a solar system for pumping the water. “The aim is to help community members build resilience despite the changing climate,” Kioko says.
“We are able to harvest excess water during the rainy season and use it during the dry months.” The communal water points according to him have drastically reduced the distance women walk for water and households like Nduku’s that connected piped water have seen even greater transformation.
According to Jackline Kamusa, Makueni County Assistant Director of Climate Change, this project was selected through a participatory climate risk assessment that ensured women, men, youth, and vulnerable groups helped determine priorities. Most of them made the strongest case for investing in water access.
“We gave the community the lead because they understand their challenges best,” she says. “Women were clear that reliable water would change their lives and it has.”
According to Dan Adino, Social Safeguards Specialist at the National Treasury, the sand dam is a model of what happens when communities especially women are empowered to shape climate solutions. By actively involving residents in planning and implementation, Adino says projects like the sand dam not only address immediate challenges but also build long-term resilience to climate shocks. “Water has given women freedom. Now I can farm, earn and take care of my family without struggle,” says Mutua.
