Household and Governance Factors Influencing Sustained Access to Piped Water Service from Community-Managed Supply in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Access to sustainable and safe water remains a significant challenge in many low- and middle-income countries, especially for rural and marginalized populations where centralized systems often fail to serve. Community-managed water systems have emerged as viable alternatives, especially in Kenya. The study aimed to analyze several factors affecting household sustained access to community-managed water systems, including household socio-economic status, livelihood use, water service convenience, water quality, and governance practices. Its specific objectives were; to analyze the influence of household socio-economic factors on sustained access to piped water from community-managed water supply, to assess the influence of access to water for livelihood on sustained access to piped water from community-managed water supply, to examine the influence of water service convenience on sustained access to piped water from community-managed water supply, to evaluate the influence of quality of water service on sustained access to piped water from community-managed water supply.to assess the moderating effect of governance practices on the relationship between household and governance factors and sustained access to piped water from community-managed water supply. The analysis was guided by capability theory, socio-technical systems theory, community-based natural resource management, and common pool resource theory, which provided a framework for understanding the factors affecting sustained access to water service. The research guided by pragmatism philosophy adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. The study sample comprised 135 respondents from a population of 696 for the quantitative surveys, and 60 informants for FGDs. Quantitative data analysis involved descriptive and logistic regression, while qualitative data evaluation involved thematic analysis. The study found that socio-economic status, water access for livelihood, water service convenience, and water quality significantly (p≤0.05 influenced household sustained access to community-managed water systems. Over and above that, water governance factors significantly moderated livestock keeping (OR = 1.79), availability of service (OR = 8.63), and water quality (OR = 2.41). The findings suggest that pro-poor subsidies and clearer governance frameworks are needed to improve the sustainability of community-managed water systems.