Once known as British East Africa, Kenya was invaded and colonized by the Portuguese in the 1500s, by the Germans in the 1800s, and by the British in the 1900s before finally gaining independence in 1963. Since then, Kenya has experienced several prolonged periods of prosperity and has vibrant industries including tourism, financial services, and telecommunications.
But in recent years, climate change has dramatically increased the frequency of droughts — from occurring once in every 10 years, to now being an annual occurrence. Four-fifths of Kenya is now categorized as arid or semi-arid with little or no water to irrigate crops. Families are going hungry, and with no safe water to drink, they are forced to depend on contaminated sources from streams, rivers, and stagnant ponds. Rural areas are suffering the most, resulting in many desperate Kenyans fleeing to cities to try to survive in slums that have little or no better access to safe water or proper sanitation.
Lifewater drilled its first wells in Kenya in 2005. Since then, it has established valuable partnerships with three organizations:
The Lifewater Kenya (TLK) is the original Lifewater partner team in Kenya, centrally located in the Nakuru area. Its founder, David Maina, is gradually transitioning his leadership responsibilities to his son, Sammy. This team has continued to be a great support to the newer teams in Kenya by passing along their valuable knowledge and experience. For example, they helped the LRK team assemble their new Lifewater-supplied drilling rig, and they trained the STADA team to repair broken hand pumps.
We are very thankful for our long-standing relationship with David and his team, and for their efforts to ensure all three teams in Kenya succeed. “This is not Lifewater Nakuru,” David says. “This is Lifewater Kenya. I will do whatever I can to see water flow everywhere in my country.”
Pastor David W. Maina
Program Director
Charity Mahugu
Administrative Assistant
Dorcas Wainaina
Program Officer
Sammy Wainaina
Liaison Officer
Antony Makau
Driller
Patrick Onyango
Driller and Welder
James Mbugua
Mason
The Lifewater R.E.S.C.U.E Kenya (LRK) team focuses their work in one of the most remote places of eastern Kenya. With little infrastructure, and fewer roads, these communities have historically been difficult to reach by any means let alone by a large drilling rig. As the team has grown, they now offer full WASH programming and with a custom, agile truck-mounted drilling rig, they are able to provide safe water in areas of Kitui County where no other rig has been able to access.
Catherine provides overall leadership and support for the team, documenting each project after it is completed. “I do what I do with Lifewater because I believe our people deserve better,” she explains. “It is our hope that we can work with communities to improve their lives with access to safe water. We love what we do, we love how we do it, and we are grateful for all the support we get.”
Larry Oyuga
Driller
Eric Kalonzo Ngina
Driller and Driver
Elijah Wigoro
Driller and Driver
Julias Kyendi
Driller and Driver
STADA is an abbreviation for “Stawisha Dada” which in Swahili means “thrive sister.” The organization was formed to address the inequalities that Kenyan women and girls face in health care and education. The youthful STADA team began partnering with Lifewater Canada to provide health and hygiene training at all the schools where the Lifewater Rescue Kenya team installed rainwater harvesting and storage systems.
Since then, thanks to the training and equipment provided through Lifewater, the STADA team has begun drilling new water wells and repairing broken hand pumps on older wells. They have also started a sewing industry for teen mothers who produce reusable sanitary pads that are distributed at their health and hygiene workshops, ensuring that menstrual periods do not stop girls from attending school and continuing their education.
Patricia Nudi
Founder and Executive Director
Maureen Achieng
Resource Manager
Terry Abura
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project Officer
Willberforce Mandela
Technical Lead
Christine Akello
Office Administrator
