The voice of the people

Abstract: Water scarcity is a common phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa, and Kenya is one of the hardest-hit countries. Estimates show that up to 41% of the population lacks access to clean and safe drinking water, and ten million people collect their daily drinking water from polluted sources. The situation is particularly critical in Machakos County, which has the country's lowest level of developed water resources, such as piped infrastructure. This study aims to understand which characteristics affect water users' participation in collaborative environmental management and whether resource users' involvement in managing water resources affects their perceptions of the performance of water services. The study shows a low level of participation among domestic water users in Machakos County. The low level of participation is mainly due to the lack of social interaction between the resource users and the governing institutions. At the same time, the study cannot link the outcome of water management to the level of participation among resource users.