National Bank of Kenya and Impact Water have initiated a partnership with the Ministry of Education to deliver safe drinking water to 4 million students across 12,000 schools by year-end 2019, expanding from current coverage of 4,000 schools in 36 counties.
The collaboration will scale infrastructure access for public primary and secondary schools, with National Bank providing logistics, financial services, and micro-loans to support water purification systems. Impact Water’s technology includes UV and chlorine treatment systems, distributed through a social business model.
Bank Managing Director Wilfred Musau emphasized the initiative’s alignment with Sustainable Development Goals, stating 40% of the global population faces water scarcity. The program has two phases: Phase 1 ends December 31, 2019, targeting existing school customers, while Phase 2 begins January 2020 to include new accounts.
Impact Water CEO Evan Haigler highlighted the partnership’s role in overcoming barriers like financing and distribution networks. Participating schools will receive replacement water purification components through National Bank branches nationwide.
