WAL - Nakuru

Nakuru is one of Kenya’s fastest-growing cities and is increasingly exposed to water-related risks, including flooding, drought, soil erosion, polluted runoff, aquifer depletion, and environmental degradation. These challenges threaten public health, economic development, and the ecological integrity of the Lake Nakuru basin. At the same time, Nakuru has strong assets: a distinctive volcanic landscape, active communities, and growing recognition that nature can play a central role in climate adaptation.

Water as Leverage (WaL) Nakuru is a design-driven climate adaptation programme jointly developed by the government of the Netherlands, the County Government of Nakuru, and a broad coalition of Kenyan, Dutch, and international partners. Implemented under Phase 1 of the WaL programme, the project reframes water from a risk factor into a catalyst for climate resilience, inclusive growth, and long-term urban prosperity.

The programme builds on the Nature-Based Sponge System (NBSS) as an integrated, place-based approach to urban water management. The NBSS applies five core functions – recharge, delay, collect, transport, and purify – to manage water across both natural and urban landscapes. Rather than relying on fragmented grey infrastructure, the approach uses context-specific Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that are grounded in local ecosystems, knowledge, and practices, and designed for long-term maintenance and community ownership.

Through collaborative research, local design workshops, and extensive engagement with communities, county and city officials, engineers, academics, and civil society, WaL Nakuru developed a portfolio of technically feasible and financially viable interventions. These include strategies such as terracing and erosion control in the Menengai Crater area, restoration of river corridors such as the Ngosur River, improved infiltration in agricultural zones like Kiamunyi, and the transformation of abandoned quarries in areas such as Lanet into multifunctional sponge parks and wetlands. Together, these interventions demonstrate scalable models for reducing flood risk, improving water availability and quality, restoring ecosystems, and creating economic and social co-benefits.

Aligned with Nakuru Vision 2050, the programme provides a clear roadmap in which water management supports sustainable urban development, job creation, and improved quality of life. The project delivers a suite of ready-to-implement pilot projects, larger-scale impact projects, and planning guidelines, alongside a flexible governance framework that connects municipal, county, and national institutions while enabling participation from communities and the private sector.

Beyond its immediate outputs, Water as Leverage Nakuru serves as a knowledge foundation for future initiatives. The analyses and concepts developed for key hotspot areas offer guidance for follow-up through municipal programmes, community initiatives, academic collaboration, and future investments. By working with water rather than against it, the project positions Nakuru as a potential model sponge city for Kenya and the wider African continent – resilient, inclusive, and water-positive.