A leading consumer health company has announced a three-year partnership to support ongoing efforts to secure Nairobi’s long-term water supply.
Haleon and the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund have partnered to replenish 76,000m³ of water annually for Nairobi residents.
The partnership also seeks to improve livelihoods and ecosystem health in the Upper Tana watershed.
“Water is fundamental to health, communities and sustainable growth. Through this partnership with the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund Trust, Haleon is proud to support practical, nature-based solutions that help protect vital water resources while strengthening resilience for communities across the Upper Tana watershed,” Haleon Sub-Saharan Africa general manager Himanshu Raj said.
The Upper Tana watershed supplies approximately 95 per cent of Nairobi’s water and about 50 per cent of Kenya’s hydropower.
However, it faces increasing pressure from land degradation, population growth and climate variability.
Nairobi currently faces persistent water shortages because demand exceeds 900 million litres per day against a supply of only 525 million litres. The situation is compounded by damaged infrastructure and water leaks.
The city’s water sources include Thika, Sasumua and Ruiru dams, as well as the Ng’ethu treatment plants.
Unsustainable farming on steep slopes has also contributed to soil erosion, river and reservoir sedimentation, higher water treatment costs and reduced productivity for smallholder farmers.
Through this partnership, Haleon is investing in nature-based solutions that address these challenges at the source while supporting Haleon’s water neutrality goal for its Nairobi site.
The project is designed to deliver measurable water replenishment, improve water quality and support long-term water security within the Upper Tana watershed.
Key interventions will include agroforestry, soil conservation terraces, grass strips on farmland, riparian buffer restoration, farmer training and extension support.
Over the project period, the partnership will work with 7,660 smallholder farmers, restoring and improving the management of 131 hectares of farmland and 1.5 kilometres of riparian corridors.
Using Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) and the Curve Number hydrological method, the project is expected to generate approximately 76,000m³ of water replenishment annually attributable to Haleon by the third year.
This will contribute directly to Haleon’s commitment to replenish the water used at its Nairobi operations.
“Through this partnership with Haleon, we are advancing our shared commitment to water stewardship by working collaboratively and investing in practical solutions backed by robust measurement,” said Patrick Nyaga, chief executive officer of the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund Trust.
“Ultimately, it’s about investing in solutions that deliver lasting value for communities, businesses and the environment.”
Beyond volumetric water benefits, the project is expected to deliver wider shared value by reducing sediment loads and downstream water treatment costs, enhancing farm productivity and incomes upstream, strengthening community stewardship, and restoring watershed ecosystems that are critical to long-term public health and economic resilience.
Overall, the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund partnership exemplifies Haleon’s approach to collective action on water stewardship by using nature-based, community-led solutions to manage risk, protect health and secure sustainable water resources for both people and nature.
Kenya was the first country in Africa to establish a Water Fund in 2015, inspiring the growth of 17 Water Funds across 11 African countries.
Along the Upper Tana watershed, the fund supports farmers in soil conservation, water harvesting, agroforestry and riparian protection.
More than four million Nairobi residents are enjoying improved water quality as a result of enhanced conservation efforts within the Upper Tana catchment area.
Already, 196,000 acres of land have been placed under sustainable management, while 318 kilometres of riparian land have been protected.
The Tana River supplies 95 per cent of Nairobi’s water and serves another five million people living within the watershed.
It also supports one of the country’s most important agricultural regions and provides half of Kenya’s hydropower output.
With Nairobi contributing 60 per cent of the country’s GDP, the Tana River plays a critical role in driving Kenya’s economic growth.
Since the early 1970s, forests on steep hillsides and wetland areas have been converted into agricultural land, removing natural systems that store runoff water and retain soil.
As a result, rainfall has washed soil into the river, reducing farmland productivity and increasing sediment in the waterways.
The increased sedimentation can clog water treatment and distribution facilities, causing service disruptions lasting days or even weeks.
The challenge required an innovative approach to protect the Tana River, improve downstream water quality and quantity, and deliver benefits to tens of thousands of farmers within the watershed.
In 2015, The Nature Conservancy launched the Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund to help secure Nairobi’s water source.
Water Funds are founded on the principle that preventing water problems at the source is more cost-effective than addressing them downstream.
Public and private donors, together with major downstream water users, contribute to the fund to support upstream soil and water conservation measures, resulting in improved water quality and supply.
The Upper Tana–Nairobi Water Fund allows urban users to invest in upstream watershed conservation for the benefit of farmers, businesses and more than nine million Kenyans who depend on the Tana River for fresh water.
On September 1, 2021, the trust became an independent Kenyan-registered entity.
More than 51,000 farmers are now applying soil conservation and water-saving methods.
As a result of the ongoing interventions, agricultural yields for smallholder farmers have increased by more than US$3 million (Sh342 million) annually.
Some 8,500 coffee farmers have also been certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
Over the next five years, the fund aims to expand its farmer outreach programme by an additional 20,000 households, up from the current 50,000 beneficiaries.
It also plans to install another 5,000 water pans, adding to the existing 15,000.
In addition, it intends to plant three million more trees to reach a target of seven million by 2026.
