Co-operative Bank Lends KSh 4.39B for Water and Sanitation, Beating Its KSh 3B TargetCo-operative Bank Lends KSh 4.39B for Water and Sanitation, Beating Its KSh 3B Target
Key Highlights
- Co-operative Bank lent KSh 4.39B ($33.82M) for water and sanitation between March 2023 and August 2026, well above the KSh 3B ($23.11M) target set at the start of its partnership.
- The Co-op A Maji product funds water tanks, solar pumps, connections, exhausters, bowsers and smart meters for utilities, households, small businesses and institutions across Kenya.
- The bank collected the Leadership in Water Infrastructure and Finance Award at the Africa WaterCredits Forum 2026 in Nairobi on 16 October, as Kenya races to finish major dams.
Co-operative Bank of Kenya has lent KSh 4.39B ($33.82M) for water and sanitation projects since March 2023, about 46% above the KSh 3B ($23.11M) it first set out to deliver.
The figure matters because water access in Kenya is increasingly financed by banks rather than the state alone, and a bigger loan book means more tanks, pumps and connections reaching households, schools and small businesses. Co-operative Bank said the loans were disbursed between March 2023 and August 2026 through its partnership with Water.org.
A three-year partnership overshoots its goal
The partnership started in 2023 with a target of more than KSh 3B in water, sanitation and hygiene financing and improved services for more than 110,000 people. The bank says it has passed the financing target, although it has not published a revised count of people reached in the figures available at the time of writing.
The money flows through Co-op A Maji, a product that lends to water service providers, individuals, small businesses and institutions. Eligible projects include water tanks, solar pumps, water connections, exhausters, bowsers and smart metre.
Recognition at the Africa WaterCredits Forum
The bank received the Leadership in Water Infrastructure and Finance Award at the Africa WaterCredits Forum 2026 in Nairobi on 16 October 2026. The award recognised its financing for water businesses and infrastructure. The forum brings together financial institutions, water utilities and development partners to discuss how water and sanitation can be financed across Africa.
Gideon Muriuki, Group Managing Director and CEO of Co-op Bank Group, said access to reliable water and sanitation remains one of Kenya's most pressing development priorities. He added that innovative financing is needed to turn infrastructure plans into services that are actually delivered.
Why private lending matters beside public dams
Large public projects still carry most of the headline spending. As Mwenendo earlier reported, Thwake Dam's first phase has reached 94.2% completion, with water impoundment targeted for the end of January 2027. Bank-financed tanks, pumps and metre work at the other end of the chain, closing gaps that bulk supply does not reach.
The sector is also growing fast. Mwenendo earlier reported that electricity and water supply led Kenya's large sectors with 7.7% growth in the second quarter of 2026, a sign of rising investment in utilities.
The bank has not disclosed loan default rates, the average loan size or the number of borrowers, so it is not yet possible to judge how much of the KSh 4.39B went to utilities and how much to households and small firms. Those details would show whether the model can be repeated by other lenders.
In Summary
- Who made the loans?
- Co-operative Bank of Kenya, in partnership with Water.org.
- What did the bank lend?
- KSh 4.39B ($33.82M) for water and sanitation, above the KSh 3B ($23.11M) target.
- When were the loans made?
- Between March 2023 and August 2026.
- Where was the award given?
- At the Africa WaterCredits Forum 2026 in Nairobi on 16 October 2026.
- Why does it matter?
- Private lending funds tanks, pumps and meters that public dams and bulk supply do not reach.
- How is the money lent?
- Through the Co-op A Maji product to water providers, individuals, small businesses and institutions.