Rebel and Haskoning secure approval for landmark water project in Kenya
Rebel and Haskoning have received formal approval of their Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) from the Kenyan Private Public Partnership Committee to implement the Naivasha Special Economic Zones Bulk Water Supply. The partners will work with Africa Water Infrastructure Development (AWID), WaterConnect and Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) to further develop, finance, construct, and operate an integrated water supply and wastewater treatment project in Naivasha, Kenya, a rapidly growing urban and industrial hub facing acute water challenges.
As lead partners, Rebel and Haskoning worked together to develop the pre-feasibility study for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) water project – in line with the Kenyan government’s ambitions for the sector. The proposed project aims to deliver safe, reliable drinking water to households in Naivasha and to the nearby SEZ through the construction of new assets worth €90 million and the provision of operational services.
Following the formal submission of the PIP to the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Rebel and Haskoning selected partners WaterConnect, AWID and PIDG to join them in developing the project further. As the Netherlands is a global leader in water management, the project was strongly supported in the pre-feasibility phases by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya and Vitens Evides International (VEI). Both are continuing their support as the project progresses.
Moreover, a Letter of Intent between the Governments of the Netherlands and Kenya has been signed. As part of this collaboration, the Netherlands has committed a grant of €1.5 million to support the project’s development phase. The grant is managed by Invest International, a public-private financial institution that delivers financing solutions to address global challenges in international markets.
As the next step in advancing the project, Haskoning and Rebel conducted a high-level stakeholder workshop to kick off the next phase of the project development. The session brought together a wide spectrum of participants, from national and county government representatives to local business associations, political leaders, and environmental conservation groups, who provided valuable insights and diverse perspectives to inform the project’s design and implementation. The engagement marked an important milestone in strengthening social acceptance, fostering local ownership, and ensuring compliance with environmental and regulatory standards. Building on these discussions, the project team will continue to collaborate closely with stakeholders to refine technical solutions and move toward the next phase of project preparation and approval.
Bridging the gap between the drinking water infrastructure needs and existing financial resources was at the heart of our proposal. Currently, there are residents of Naivasha that are supplied with water through kiosks, so a transition to household connections will have a significant impact on well-being and quality of life. With the population expected to grow to 575,000 by 2030, there will also be a considerable increase in demand on the town’s existing water infrastructure. This challenge, alongside the government’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda which prioritises the Naivasha Special Economic Zone (SEZ), underscores the importance of water supply and wastewater treatment systems as critical enablers of both social and economic development.
Due to Rebel’s previous experience and solid understanding of the Kenyan regulatory landscape, we were able to work with the Kenyan and Dutch authorities, partners and financiers to design an innovative project development and funding model. We are excited about making the transition from financial and transaction advisors to developers and investors in PPPs in Africa, after successfully doing so in other parts of the world.