Most of the rural communities in Kenya are faced with acute drinking water shortage. The Water Users Associations Support Programme (WUASP), a programme financed by the Belgium Technical Cooperation has been assisting various community based water schemes in three arid and semi-arid districts  with the installation of an improved management system, together with basic rehabilitation to get the water flowing. The Government of Kenya initiated the process of introduction of alternative managements systems for all water supply utilities in the country. The objective of the project was to develop “sustainable community management models for rural water schemes, develop, implement and disseminate.” CDC assisted WUASP in the design and implementations of these management projects covering various schemes in Kenya.

The second part of the assignment was to design and to document sound and sustainable financial management systems, compatible to a preferred choice of management model in the water schemes. The implementation of the financial management was to be done through the project and eventual follow-up of the implementation suggested if deemed necessary. CDC was involved in the design and development of a simple accounting system easy to operate while incorporating a tight internal control mechanism that can be effectively exercised. The systems that were designed were appropriate and suitable to a water scheme and cost effective and efficient.