MANAGING WATER SCARCITY IN AN ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE CASE STUDY OF KENYA

Abstract

Kenya is one of the water-scarce nations in the sub-Saharan Africa region that is seeking for alternative water sources to meet the ever-rising demands of the resource for its growing population amidst climate variability. Desalination is one of the viable alternatives since it has no effect on the hydrological cycle. This research discussed the methods used for desalination, the gains, opportunities and challenges that Kenya is facing in adopting this technology. The adopted methodology involved evaluation of pre-existent literature from databases and organizations championing for desalination. Findings showed that membrane and distillation processes are used to purify saline water independently or as hybridized systems in addition to alternatives such as freezing, solar humidification and deionisation. These methods have been implemented in Kenya at varied scale and their expansion is growing with the availability of renewable energy sources including solar, wave and geothermal power with high potential in the country. The sustainability of the desalination processes is however challenged by high implementation costs, high energy consumption and negative environmental effects due to fossil fuel use and production of brine among other wastes. Future prospects should prioritize on using safe and sustainable desalination processes to offset its affiliated costs and negative environmental effects as suggested in this review.