Duale Orders Absorption Of Kenya Water Towers Agency Staff After Dissolution

Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has directed that employees of the now-defunct Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA) be absorbed into various sections of the ministry.

In a statement issued Friday, December 13, Duale confirmed that KWTA ceased all operations a month ago.

This marks the first public announcement about the disbandment of the agency, which was responsible for overseeing the protection, rehabilitation, and sustainable management of the country’s critical water towers.

Duale explained that KWTA was dissolved following the expiry of the Executive Order that established it in April 2012. The agency’s board was disbanded last month, with its chairperson and directors reassigned to other roles in government.

“The dissolution of KWTA is part of a Cabinet-sanctioned rationalization of state corporations with overlapping or duplicate mandates,” Duale said in a statement posted on X.

The decision has raised concerns about the fate of KWTA employees. While the agency has not disclosed its workforce size, its organizational structure includes key departments such as ecosystem research, planning, governance, and corporate services, with regional offices across the country in Kitale, Eldoret, Narok, Kisumu, Mombasa, Kitui, Nyeri, and Marsabit.

KWTA, established in 2012, managed Kenya’s vital water towers, including the Mau Forest Complex, Aberdare Range, Cherangani Hills, Mount Kenya, and Mount Elgon, among others.