Hundreds of employees working in two government water agencies could face job disruptions as Parliament considers a Bill seeking to merge the institutions, raising fresh uncertainty over their employment and future roles.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Water (Amendment) Bill, 2026, currently before the National Assembly and undergoing public participation, proposes to abolish the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA) and merge its functions with those of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).

If approved, the two institutions would be brought together under a proposed National Irrigation and Water Harvesting Authority, effectively ending the current institutional structure under which employees of the two agencies operate.

For workers at the NWHSA, the proposal has particular significance because the Bill seeks to repeal the legal provisions that establish the authority, its board, Chief Executive Officer and employment framework.

📌 What You Need to Know

The Bill proposes to repeal Sections 30 to 35 of the Water Act, which provide for the establishment of the authority, its governance structure, CEO and employees.

This has raised questions over whether existing workers will be absorbed into the proposed authority or whether some positions could become redundant.

The proposed changes come against the backdrop of a wider government programme to reduce the number of state corporations, with efficiency and elimination of duplication cited as key reasons for the restructuring.

In January 2025, the government announced plans to merge 42 state corporations into 20 parastatals following an assessment of 271 state corporations by the National Treasury.

The plan included the merger of the University Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board, the Kenya Tourism Board and Tourism Research Institute, as well as the Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Water Towers Agency.

The government also announced that nine state corporations would be dissolved, with their functions transferred to ministries or other state agencies, while 16 others with outdated mandates would be considered for divestiture or dissolution where their functions could be handled by the private sector.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke