This Water and Sewerage Service Policy framework is a detailed presentation of theCountys overall development agenda and commitment in the waters sector andforms part of the implementation platforms for the County Integrated DevelopmentPlan (CIDP). The policy begins with providing the background on the vitalinformation on the Countys development context. The policy recognizes thatTurkana County is arid and semi-arid and is characterized by warm and hot climate.The temperatures range between 20ºC and 41ºC with a mean of 30.5ºC.

The rainfall pattern and distribution is erratic and unreliable both with time andspace. There are two rainfall seasons. The long rains (akiporo) usually occur betweenApril and July and the short rains between October and November and rangesbetween 52 mm and 480 mm annually with a mean of 200 mm. The driest periods(akamu) are January, February and September. The rainfall is distributed on an eastwest gradient with more rainfall in the western parts and other areas of higherelevation. The rainfalls are brief and come with violent storms resulting in flushfloods. The surface runoff and potential evaporation rates are extremely high.

According to the Kenya Population and Housing Census (KPHC) 2009 results, theCounty population stood at 855,399. It is projected to have a total population of1,036,586 in 2012 and 1,427,797 in 2017. These projections are based on a populationgrowth rate of 6.4 percent assuming constant mortality and fertility rates.

The second part of the policy outlines the Countys policy and developmentplanning context for the water sector. It begins by recognizing that The Constitutionof Kenya further provides for access to safe and sufficient water as a basic humanright. Under the economic and social rights in the Bill of Rights, Article 43 of TheConstitution of Kenya provides that every person has the right to reasonablestandards of sanitation as well as to clean and safe water in adequate quantities.

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