Julius M. Wanyonyi
Kenya Rainwater Association, (KRA)
P .O .Box 72387, Nairobi
Tel: 254 –2-560536/577334, Fax No: 254-2-577337.
E-mail: kra@2000ke.com

This paper examines the possibilities and challenges of rainwater harvesting in both rural and urban areas of Kenya. The problems of water shortage in urban areas and the high costs of developing new surface water sources, the scarcity of ground water supplies in Arid and Semiarid Lands (ASALs) and the unmanageable operation and maintenance costs of large piped water supplies are alarming. Therefore the willingness of the people, particularly in arid and semiarid areas, to embrace low cost initiatives like rainwater harvesting. The solutions suggested emanate from the grassroots community projects, the authors experiences in the water sector as an engineer and recommendation from household rainwater harvesting workshops.