Publicprivate partnerships can deliver universal access to clean water by 2030

During a recent visit to New York City, I found myself admiring the many iconic networks of bridges, highways, parks, public beaches and iconic infrastructural master structures like the United Nations headquarters, an international symbol of diplomacy, cooperation and the epicentre of acceptable international human livelihood models. I was not only struck by the mind-blowing conversations we engaged in during the conference but also by the remarkable infrastructure that continues serving millions, shaping modern New York while demonstrating the lasting impact of the visionary infrastructure engineered by Robert Moses.

As I flew back to Kenya, I could not stop thinking: If one man with public authority and private capital could rebuild a city in a single era, why can’t we solve the simple arithmetic of clean water? With 2030 looming, the solution lies not in waiting for government allocations, but in unlocking the same engine Moses used: The aggressive, disciplined partnership between public vision and private drive.

According to the United Nations 2026 report on Sustainable Development Goals, roughly 1.9 billion people live in potentially severely water-scarce areas, a number projected to increase. In his famous poem titled ‘First Things’ published in the New Yorker magazine towards the end of 1957, WH Auden accurately polished a fact that while thousands have lived without love, not one individual would survive without water. While the Sustainable Development Goal Synthesis Report on water and sanitation 2026 reflects on a decade of progress, it is important to create impetus and map hands-on pathways and long-term opportunities towards sustainable global access to water and sanitation.

Unlike Mr Moses, Kenya’s water service sector is a semi-autonomous public authority regulated through legislation and overseen by devolved entities. This hybrid model enhances transparency, accountability and consumer protection. While this has enhanced water coverage through revenue generation and reinvestment, it is paramount to inject seed financing through a public-private partnership arrangement to ensure efficiency, long-term revenue models, and public-private implementation that gave New York its bridges.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly becoming an important solution for expanding water access in Kenya, especially at a time when public financing alone cannot meet the growing demand for water infrastructure. Under PPP arrangements, the public sector should retain oversight and responsibility for service delivery while the private sector contributes financing, technical expertise, innovation and operational efficiency. Models such as performance-based contracts would help utilities improve efficiency by tying payments to measurable results such as reduction of water losses, improved billing systems and expansion of customer connections.

While government institutions provide policy direction, regulation and protection of public interests, private partners bring capital, technology and managerial efficiency that can accelerate service delivery. Properly structured PPPs are therefore not a privatisation of water services, but a strategic partnership capable of helping Kenya move closer to achieving universal access to safe and reliable water by 2030.

Across the globe, well-structured water PPPs have played a crucial role in expanding access and enhancing service quality. For instance, a 25-year concession in Metro Manila, Philippines, successfully reduced non-revenue water from over 70 per cent to 11 per cent, while providing clean, reliable water to 96 per cent of the population. Similar achievements are evident in other regions, such as Davao City, where a project now supplies reliable, potable water to over a million residents, increasing coverage from 77 per cent to 96 per cent, with over 300 million litres delivered daily. In Senegal, the SEN'EAU joint venture with SUEZ has been acknowledged by the UN for delivering high-quality water to 10 million people, leveraging digital technologies and local training to build consumer trust to 93 per cent.

One of the main hurdles to achieving universal access to water in Kenya isn't a lack of projects but the shortage of affordable, time-friendly funding needed to make them happen. Many water projects, especially in rural and low-income communities, are seen as high-risk and not financially attractive, despite their significant social benefits. That’s where blended finance, combining public funds, donor support, and private investment, becomes vital. Development finance establishments like the World Bank, African Development Bank, and climate finance agencies can help ease risks through guarantees, joint ventures, blended financing, and technical assistance, making it easier to attract private investors to the water sector.

Kenya should now take bold steps toward innovative financial tools such as green bonds, climate resilience funds, crowdfunding, revolving funds, and long-term PPP contracts to attract long-term capital for water infrastructure. The country already has a solid foundation with frameworks like the Public Private Partnerships Act, 2021, and the Water Act, 2016. However, it needs stronger regulatory incentives to specifically encourage private investment in water projects. Best practices could include creating a national water infrastructure guarantee fund, offering tax perks for green water investments, standardising PPP procurement processes across regions, and improving the credit readiness of water service providers through commercially viable water tariffs.

Additionally, Kenya can empower utilities to access capital markets through green bond issuances linked to clear outcomes such as reducing non-revenue water, expanding sewerage coverage, and connecting more households. When structured thoughtfully, blended finance could act as the essential link that turns water access into a sustainable, investable opportunity and transforms it from a development challenge into a vita