Achieving water security in the context of competing demands for basic water supply and sanitation, food security, economic development, and the environment is a key ambition expressed in the “Vision 2050” of the East African Community (EAC). UN-Water defines water security as:“The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of and acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.” UN-Water (2013). The rapid growth of the economy and population, along with a high rate of urbanization expected for the region, will lead to increased water demand in all sectors and further pressure on the water quality status.

The “Africa Water Vision 2025”(UN-Water/Africa, 2003) clearly articulates the particular challenge and focus for Africa’s water management to overcome extreme poverty and advance in socioeconomic development in its vision statement to achieve “An Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment”. The same document calls for the need of more research on how to achieve sustainable water use in Africa based on an assessment of “where we are”,“where we want to be” and “how to get there”.