Consultancy Mandera Water Sector Market Assessment

Mandera Water Sector Assessment, 2026

**Background**

The Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) is a permanent global alliance of leading humanitarian and private organisations that convenes opportunities and partnerships, accelerates learning and effective models, and influences the WASH space by leveraging the expertise and reach of its members and partners to scale quality, sustained WASH services. Founded in the year 2002, MWA seeks to advance high standards for program quality, transparency and accountability and work with its members, governments, communities, private sector partners and other key stakeholders to bring to scale effective and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene education solutions. MWA therefore sees WASH beyond a service but as a platform for advocacy, social enterprise, economic empowerment, and gender justice.

Following the implementation of RAPID+ program across five counties (Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit and Turkana) over the last 10 years, MWA is considering expanding its scope to include Mandera County. Mandera presents a distinct operational context characterised by unique security dynamics, cross-border influences, and water service delivery challenges. To ensure evidence-based programming, MWA plans to conduct a rapid water sector assessment in Mandera to identify priority needs, viable entry points, and relevant stakeholders. This assessment is expected to be a “quasi-baseline” to establish the status of water access while also conducting stakeholder and political economy analysis to guide future interventions.

**Purpose of the Assessment**

The goal of this assessment is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the water landscape in Mandera County to inform strategic entry and investment. The specific objectives include:

- **Situational Analysis and Baseline Scoping:** Determining the current water access rates and identifying different types of water sources available across the county. Inventory and functionality status of existing water sources and seasonal variations in water availability as well as the associated coping mechanisms.
- **Stakeholder Mapping**: Identifying and analyzing key water sector actors across government, development actors, community and private sector.
- **Governance Review:** Understanding the institutional and governance structures determining water access and service delivery in both rural and urban areas. A further understanding of the regulatory frameworks governing water supply and private sector participation in the county would be key.
- **Contextual Analysis:** Conducting a quick Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and a security situation assessment to understand the operating environment
- **Opportunity Identification**: Identifying priority needs and viable entry points where water can be leveraged for commercially viable productive uses. Identifying water-related activities with the highest potential for growth, employment generation, and inclusive development.
- **Strategy Formulation**: Propose priority needs and viable entry points for MWA’s intervention in Mandera.

The Mandera Water Sector Assessment will serve as a foundational document for MWA’s expansion into the county. It will provide the necessary contextual information to navigate the unique political and security dynamics of the County. The assessment will address the following questions:

- **Water Access and Infrastructure:** What are the current water access rate, and what are the primary types of water sources used by communities, and what is the functional status of existing water infrastructure?
- **Stakeholder Dynamics:** Who are the primary government, development, community, and private sector stakeholders, and what are their roles/influence within the sector? What are their motivations and the extend that they are willing to collaborate or partner?
- **Governance:** What are the regulatory frameworks in place to guide water supply and water resources management in Mandera County? Which are the key institutions tasked with water service delivery across the county and what are their respective roles? What are the various models of water service delivery in urban, peri-urban and rural areas and how do these models differ in terms of sustainability and service levels?
- **Productive Use**: How is water currently leveraged for financially viable productive uses, and what are the untapped opportunities for economic development.
- **Political Economy**: What are the power dynamics, formal and informal rules, and incentives that shape water service delivery in Mandera and how do they impact equity and sustainability?
- **Risk and Security**: What is the current security situation, and how might it impact program implementation and staff safety and how can MWA navigate the localized political landscape safely?

**Scope of Work and Methodology**

The assessment shall:

1. Cover all sub-counties/relevant geographic zones within Mandera County, with sampling stratified to capture urban, peri-urban and rural areas.
2. Engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including county government officials, water utility staff, private sector actors, community leaders, water user groups, women’s and youth groups as well as security actors.

The consultant should propose a methodology that is rapid, consultative, participatory, and appropriate for a pre-program assessment. The methodology should combine qualitative and quantitative methods and must address:

- Secondary data review of existing reports, county water plans, Water Service Regulatory Board (WASREB) reports, Mandera County Public Works and Services Act, 2014, and any prior assessments in Mandera.
- Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders.
- Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) disaggregated by gender and age.
- Limited household-level consultations and small purposive community sampling. (not a full-blown survey as data can be sourced from secondary sources).
- Political economy analysis using rapid PEA framework.
- Security risk assessment mapping security hotspots and localized conflict dynamics.
- Mapping of economically viable productive use sites including small-scale and large-scale irrigation, intensive livestock rearing and fodder production among others

The assessment is expected to take a **maximum of 45 days** from inception to final report. The deliverables include:

- **Inception Report:** Detailed methodology, sampling strategy, data collection tools, work plan, and risk mitigation plan.
- **Draft Assessment Report:** Full draft with findings and draft recommendations. Including cleaned quantitative and qualitative dataset.
- **Presentation of Findings:** Presentation of findings to MWA with slides being submitted 2 days before the presentation day.
- **Final Assessment Report:** Full report (max 30 pages excluding annexes) incorporating feedback. Includes executive summary, methodology, findings, political economy summary, security assessment and recommendations.
- **Security Situation Brief:** Standalone operational brief mapping risks and mitigation measures.
- **List of existing and viable productive use sites (where water is used for agriculture, livestock production, feedlots and fodder production) across Mandera County.**
- **Cleaned Datasets:** All raw and cleaned data, KII/FGD transcripts (anonymised), photographs (with consent) and data verification/validation documentation.

**Consultant Qualification**

Below are the preferred qualifications for the consultants applying for the consultancy:

- Minimum eight (8) years of experience conducting water sector assessments, governance reviews, political economy analyses, feasibility studies, or market-entry assessments within fragile ASAL contexts.
- The proposed Team Leader should possess a Master’s degree or higher in Water Engineering, Water Governance, Development Studies, Economics, Political Science, Economics or a related field.
- Proven experience conducting Political Econ