Consultancy Mandera Water Sector Market Assessment

Mandera Water Sector Assessment, 2026

Background

The Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) is a permanent global alliance of leading humanitarian and private organisations that convenes opportunities and partnerships, accelerates learning and effective models, and influences the WASH space by leveraging the expertise and reach of its members and partners to scale quality, sustained WASH services. Founded in the year 2002, MWA seeks to advance high standards for program quality, transparency and accountability and work with its members, governments, communities, private sector partners and other key stakeholders to bring to scale effective and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene education solutions. MWA therefore sees WASH beyond a service but as a platform for advocacy, social enterprise, economic empowerment, and gender justice.

Following the implementation of RAPID+ program across five counties (Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit and Turkana) over the last 10 years, MWA is considering expanding its scope to include Mandera County. Mandera presents a distinct operational context characterised by unique security dynamics, cross-border influences, and water service delivery challenges. To ensure evidence-based programming, MWA plans to conduct a rapid water sector assessment in Mandera to identify priority needs, viable entry points, and relevant stakeholders. This assessment is expected to be a “quasi-baseline” to establish the status of water access while also conducting stakeholder and political economy analysis to guide future interventions.

Purpose of the Assessment

The goal of this assessment is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the water landscape in Mandera County to inform strategic entry and investment. The specific objectives include:

Situational Analysis and Baseline Scoping: Determining the current water access rates and identifying different types of water sources available across the county. Inventory and functionality status of existing water sources and seasonal variations in water availability as well as the associated coping mechanisms.

Stakeholder Mapping: Identifying and analyzing key water sector actors across government, development actors, community and private sector.

Governance Review: Understanding the institutional and governance structures determining water access and service delivery in both rural and urban areas. A further understanding of the regulatory frameworks governing water supply and private sector participation in the county would be key.

Contextual Analysis: Conducting a quick Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and a security situation assessment to understand the operating environment.

Opportunity Identification: Identifying priority needs and viable entry points where water can be leveraged for commercially viable productive uses. Identifying water-related activities with the highest potential for growth, employment generation, and inclusive development.

Strategy Formulation: Propose priority needs and viable entry points for MWA’s intervention in Mandera.

The Mandera Water Sector Assessment will serve as a foundational document for MWA’s expansion into the county. It will provide the necessary contextual information to navigate the unique political and security dynamics of the County. The assessment will address the following questions:

Water Access and Infrastructure: What are the current water access rate, and what are the primary types of water sources used by communities, and what is the functional status of existing water infrastructure?

Stakeholder Dynamics: Who are the primary government, development, community, and private sector stakeholders, and what are their roles/influence within the sector? What are their motivations and the extend that they are willing to collaborate or partner?

Governance: What are the regulatory frameworks in place to guide water supply and water resources management in Mandera County? Which are the key institutions tasked with water service delivery across the county and what are their respective roles? What are the various models of water service delivery in urban, peri-urban and rural areas and how do these models differ in terms of sustainability and service levels?

Productive Use: How is water currently leveraged for financially viable productive uses, and what are the untapped opportunities for economic development.

Political Economy: What are the power dynamics, formal and informal rules, and incentives that shape water service delivery in Mandera and how do they impact equity and sustainability?

Risk and Security: What is the current security situation, and how might it impact program implementation and staff safety and how can MWA navigate the localized political landscape safely?

Scope of Work and Methodology

The assessment shall:

Cover all sub-counties/relevant geographic zones within Mandera County, with sampling stratified to capture urban, peri-urban and rural areas.

Engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including county government officials, water utility staff, private sector actors, community leaders, water user groups, women’s and youth groups as well as security actors.

The consultant should propose a methodology that is rapid, consultative, participatory, and appropriate for a pre-program assessment. The methodology should combine qualitative and quantitative methods and must address:

Secondary data review of existing reports, county water plans, Water Service Regulatory Board (WASREB) reports, Mandera County Public Works and Services Act, 2014, and any prior assessments in Mandera.

Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders.

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) disaggregated by gender and age.

Limited household-level consultations and small purposive community sampling. (not a full-blown survey as data can be sourced from secondary sources).

Political economy analysis using rapid PEA framework.

Security risk assessment mapping security hotspots and localized conflict dynamics.

Mapping of economically viable productive use sites including small-scale and large-scale irrigation, intensive livestock rearing and fodder production among others.

The assessment is expected to take a maximum of 45 days from inception to final report. The deliverables include:

Inception Report: Detailed methodology, sampling strategy, data collection tools, work plan, and risk mitigation plan.

Draft Assessment Report: Full draft with findings and draft recommendations. Including cleaned quantitative and qualitative dataset.

Presentation of Findings: Presentation of findings to MWA with slides being submitted 2 days before the presentation day.

Final Assessment Report: Full report (max 30 pages excluding annexes) incorporating feedback. Includes executive summary, methodology, findings, political economy summary, security assessment and recommendations.

Security Situation Brief: Standalone operational brief mapping risks and mitigation measures.

List of existing and viable productive use sites (where water is used for agriculture, livestock production, feedlots and fodder production) across Mandera County.

Cleaned Datasets: All raw and cleaned data, KII/FGD transcripts (anonymised), photographs (with consent) and data verification/validation documentation.

Consultant Qualification

Below are the preferred qualifications for the consultants applying for the consultancy:

Experience

Minimum eight (8) years of experience conducting water sector assessments, governance reviews, political economy analyses, feasibility studies, or market-entry assessments within fragile ASAL contexts.

The proposed Team Leader should possess a Master’s degree or higher in Water Engineering, Water Governance, Development Studies, Economics, Political Science, Economics or a related field.

Proven experience conducting Political Economy Analysis (PEA), governance assessments, and security or conflict-sensitive analyses in fragile environments.

Strong understanding of ASAL contexts, including pastoral systems, cross-border dynamics, and water service delivery challenges in Northern Kenya and/or Somalia.

Demonstrated experience in water service delivery, water governance, Market Systems Development (MSD), and productive use of water.

Expertise in mixed-methods research, including KIIs, FGDs, stakeholder mapping, and targeted community consultations.

Demonstrated ability to synthesize secondary data and sector assessments into actionable recommendations.

Experience using digital/mobile data collection platforms and managing field data collection processes.

Required Skills

Strong analytical, facilitation, and report-writing skills.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required. Knowledge of local languages spoken in Mandera County will be an added advantage.

Prior experience working with county governments, development partners, private sector actors, and community structures in Kenya’s ASAL counties will be an added advantage.

The consulting firm must demonstrate adequate operational and logistical capacity to undertake fieldwork in remote and fragile settings.

Evidence of successfully completed similar assignments in Kenya or the Horn of Africa region will be highly desirable.

Reporting and Communication

Internal: The consultant will be reporting to the RAPID+ Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist while maintaining a close working relationship with the RAPID+ Program Director.

External: The consultant will be in close communication with other stakeholders including County Government staff, private sector partners, and community leaders. Consultants must adhere to the MWA Code of Conduct and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) policies when carrying out their duties and interactions with external parties.

Application Process

Interested firms must submit detailed technical and financial proposals (in Kenya Shillings) that clearly explain their understanding of the Terms of Reference, approaches, and methodologies to be used to undertake the assignment.

Preparation and Contents of Proposals

The Technical Proposal

The proposal shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

An application/cover letter. The letter should be no longer than two pages.

The CVs of the team leader and other key team members (a maximum of 4 pages each).

A company profile.

Description of the firm’s experience in providing similar consultancy services to international development agencies or organizations. A specific listing and description of engagements, current or prior will be required.

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