The Role of Household Access to Water for Livelihood on Sustained Service from Community-Managed Supply in Nakuru County, Kenya

Access to water for productive livelihood activities is increasingly recognized as an important pathway through which community-managed water systems contribute to household food security and rural development. Despite the widespread adoption of community-managed water services across sub-Saharan Africa, limited empirical evidence exists on how livelihood benefits derived from these systems influence households’ sustained access to water services. This study examined the influence of household livelihood use of water on sustained access to community-managed piped water services in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study adopted a mixed-methods cross-sectional design involving households served by three community-managed piped water projects in Njoro and Gilgil sub-counties. A sample of 130 households was selected through multistage stratified sampling, while 60 participants were purposively selected for focus group discussions. Quantitative data were collected using structured household questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Qualitative data were content analyzed. The findings indicate that community-managed water services support diverse livelihood activities, particularly livestock keeping, small-scale crop irrigation, and informal water vending during dry periods. Cross-tabulation analysis revealed significant associations between sustained access and livestock keeping (p < 0.001) as well as crop irrigation (p < 0.001). Households keeping livestock were significantly more likely to sustain access to community-managed water services than non-livestock keepers (OR = 2.089, p = 0.009). Water vending showed a positive but marginally significant relationship with sustained access (OR = 2.277, p = 0.060). The study concludes that productive dependence on water, especially through livestock-based livelihoods, enhances households’ incentives to maintain long-term engagement with community-managed water systems. The findings suggest that water policies should move beyond domestic service provision and recognize water as a productive asset that supports livelihoods, food security, and resilience. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine the causal pathways linking productive water use, governance processes, and sustainable water service outcomes.