{
  "id": 20113957,
  "title": "Taming the shifting sand dunes of Mambrui: A source to sea story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/taming-the-shifting-sand-dunes-of-mambrui-a-source-to-sea-story",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-15T04:33:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KBC",
    "slug": "kbc",
    "url": "https://www.kbc.co.ke/taming-the-shifting-sand-dunes-of-mambrui-a-source-to-sea-story-2/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "To understand how water management is being managed in Makueni County, I traveled to Wote, the capital of the county, which is 414 kilometers from Mambrui. Makueni has long struggled with water scarcity, exacerbated by unreliable rainfall and frequent drought. According to the county's 2024 Participatory Climate Risk Assessment, drought is a major hazard, alongside flash floods and strong winds. These hazards threaten water supplies, crop and livestock production, and household incomes. In 2026, households traveled an average of 4.6 kilometers to access water, while those relying on both farming and livestock kept the average distance at 7.8 kilometers.\n\nJoseph Kioko, the Civil Society County Coordinator in Makueni, highlights the local approach to tackling water scarcity. \"We have a lot of sand in Makueni, actually the best quality in the country,\" he says. \"When we conserve this sand, we find that the water table will rise, which encourages agriculture and the availability of water in many households.\" The Makueni Sand Conservation and Utilisation Authority, established in 2015, has constructed 26 sand dams across 13 wards, transforming degraded riverbeds into productive ground.\n\nCommunity members have witnessed the benefits firsthand. Joseph Kioko recalls his upbringing in Mikauni Village, where families relied on the Londokwe River before sand dams were built. \"First, the sand dam acts as a bridge; as sand accumulates, it buries the gully and makes the river passable. Second, it helps raise the water table. Previously, we used to fetch water 8 to 14 kilometers away at the Athi River. Now, we just dig shallow wells and access water right in our village,\" he explains.\n\nIn Wote, one sand dam spans the Kaiti River, which eventually flows into the Athi River. Built by Utooni Development Organisation in partnership with the Kaiti River self-help group in 2013, the dam stores 34,390 cubic meters of water. Downstream, farmers utilize the stored water to irrigate their crops year-round, even during severe dry seasons.\n\nHowever, the county has also implemented measures to regulate the use of sand, turning it from a freely available resource into a regulated one. Justus Mutuku, a resident involved with the Makueni Civil Society Organisation, points out that the Makueni County Assembly passed an Act in 2015 to establish the Makueni County Sand Conservation and Utilisation Authority. This authority regulates sand harvesting, issues licenses to commercial harvesters, and monitors adherence to prevent negative impacts on river courses. Illegal harvesters face prosecution.\n\nAnother challenge lies in the cross-boundary flow of rivers. Stormwater from Kajiado County enters Makueni during the rainy season, carrying heavy sediment that puts pressure on the river system. The Sabaki Estuary Management Plan 2023-2028 reveals that sediment levels have increased dramatically from 50,000 tonnes annually in the 1950s to 5-13 million tonnes in recent estimates, largely due to poor land-use practices upstream. This sediment threatens the estuary's ecological balance, affecting mangrove habitats.\n\nKimeli notes that much of the sediment that builds coastal zones originates upstream, with large hydroelectric dams trapping much of it. Removing accumulated sediment from dams downstream and maintaining environmental flows during dam construction and operation can help balance the need to store water with the need to maintain natural river flows and sediment levels. However, determining the optimal amount of water and sediment to allow downstream remains a pressing question.",
  "summary": "Water scarcity has long shaped life in Makueni, where unreliable rainfall and recurring drought threaten livelihoods. The post Taming the shifting sand dunes of Mambrui: A source to sea story appeared first on KBC Digital .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}