Private sector drilled 42,791 of Kenya’s 47,199 boreholes in 2024–25, says KNBS

Private companies have continued to dominate borehole drilling in Kenya, as fresh data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that they contributed the largest number of new boreholes during the 2024–25 period.

The newly released Economic Survey points to a growing reliance on private players in efforts to improve access to water across the country.

The report shows that the total number of boreholes increased to 47,199 in 2024–25, up from 45,856 the previous year.

Of these, 42,791 were drilled by the private sector, compared to just 4,408 by public entities.

A year earlier, the private sector drilled 41,508 boreholes while public institutions managed only 4,348.

In 2022–23, private firms were responsible for 40,763 boreholes, while the public sector contributed 4,323.

This pattern has held since 2020–21, when private entities drilled 17,954 boreholes, and the public sector accounted for 2,455.

"The number of boreholes drilled increased by 2.9 per cent to 47,199 in 2024-25, with those drilled by the private sector accounting for the largest share," states the 2025 Economic Survey.

The growing gap in borehole drilling between the public and private sectors comes at a time when the government’s development expenditure on water supply and related services is expected to fall.

According to the survey, this budget is projected to reduce by 4.1% to Sh64.3 billion in 2024–25.

Even more concerning is the projected 24.3% decline in funding for rural water supply, which is expected to drop to Sh5 billion in the same financial year.

This cutback could affect communities that rely heavily on government support for access to clean water.

Meanwhile, the report notes a slight increase in the amount of water being drawn from natural sources.

The total volume of water abstracted went up from 32.5 billion cubic metres in 2023 to 32.7 billion cubic metres in 2024.

Surface water sources made up 99.3% of all abstractions.

There was also a minimal rise in the use of groundwater, with 244.1 million cubic metres extracted in 2024 compared to 243.9 million cubic metres in 2023.

In terms of infrastructure, the number of water purification points is expected to grow from 376 in 2023–24 to 380 in 2024–25.

This slight increase may help support water quality efforts in some areas, though concerns remain about access and distribution.

Aside from water, the survey also looked at other sectors.

In fisheries, both output and income saw improvements.

The total fish landed increased by 4.4% to 168.4 thousand tonnes in 2024.

This growth came with a rise in value, from Sh35.9 billion in 2023 to Sh39.6 billion in 2024.

The forestry sector reported a modest gain in plantation coverage, with the net stocked area increasing from 144.8 thousand hectares in 2023 to 147.0 thousand hectares in 2024.

However, the mining sector posted a poor performance.

Earnings from mineral production dropped by 24.4% , falling from Sh33.8 billion in 2023 to Sh25.5 billion in 2024.