Kenya moves to tighten regulation of hydrology practice
Kenya is moving towards strengthening the regulation of hydrology practice as the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation reviews proposed regulations intended to guide professionals involved in assessing and managing the country’s water resources.
The progress of the Draft Hydrologists (General) Regulations, 2026, featured in a meeting between Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Eric Mugaa and Ms. Georgia Mwendwa, Acting Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Hydrologists Registration Board (HRB), who paid a courtesy call at his office at Maji House in Nairobi.
During the meeting, Mwendwa briefed the Cabinet Secretary on the progress made in processing the proposed regulations, outlining issues raised during public participation, the consolidation of stakeholder submissions and efforts to address the views presented.
The proposed regulations are intended to give effect to the Hydrologists Act, No. 19 of 2017, which established the Hydrologists Registration Board and provided a legal framework for regulating and overseeing the practice of hydrology in Kenya.
The Act is particularly important to water-resource management because it establishes professional standards for specialists whose work informs decisions on water availability, distribution, infrastructure development and sustainable use of water resources.
Under Section 4, the Board is mandated to regulate and oversee the practice of hydrology, promote professional competence, coordinate hydrological research, investigations and surveys, and recognise institutions offering relevant academic and practical training.
The legislation also gives the Board responsibilities relating to hydrological studies and reports used in the design of hydraulic structures. Such assessments provide technical information required when planning and developing dams, reservoirs and other water infrastructure that depend on reliable knowledge of water availability and movement.
Section 21 of the Act outlines activities that constitute the practice of hydrology, including the verification of hydrological data, studies and designs, hydrometric installations, investigations and assessments of water-resource potential.
These functions are significant in determining river flows, groundwater availability, rainfall patterns and the capacity of water sources to support domestic consumption, irrigation, industry and environmental requirements.
Reliable hydrological information is also essential in flood and drought preparedness. It helps authorities understand changes in water availability, assess risks and make informed decisions on infrastructure investments, catchment protection and water-resource planning.
The Act provides for different categories of professional registration, including hydrologists, hydrological assistants and consultant hydrologists. It also establishes requirements for annual practising licences and provides for disciplinary measures against professionals found guilty of misconduct.
The Draft Hydrologists (General) Regulations, 2026, are expected to provide more detailed procedures for implementing the law, including requirements relating to registration, licensing, professional conduct and oversight of hydrological practice.
The proposed framework has undergone stakeholder engagement, with the Ministry of Water and the Board receiving submissions on various aspects of the draft. Issues raised during consultations include the clarity of registration and licensing requirements, consistency with the Hydrologists Act and other sector laws, and the institutional capacity required to implement the regulations.
Stakeholders have also identified drafting and editorial issues requiring clarification before the proposed rules are finalised. The ongoing consolidation of submissions is intended to ensure that concerns raised during public participation are considered during the review process.
The Ministry and the Board have also undertaken public consultation activities, including inviting written submissions and organising regional engagements to obtain views from hydrologists and other interested parties.
The proposed regulations do not replace the mandate of the Water Resources Authority (WRA), which regulates the use and management of water resources, including water abstraction and allocation. Instead, they focus on the professional standards governing the specialists who generate, analyse and interpret hydrological information used in water-resource decision-making.
As Kenya continues to invest in dams, water supply systems, irrigation infrastructure and flood-control programmes, the quality and reliability of hydrological information remain important to the success of these projects.
Strengthening the regulation of hydrology professionals is therefore expected to support more reliable water-resource assessments and improve the technical foundation for planning, developing and managing the country’s water resources.
