Conflict management among users in the Pangani river Basin: a case : upstream Nyumba ya Mungu Reserviour

The study aimed at finding out the means of resolving the water conflicts in the Pangani river basin by looking on the existing institutional capacity in handling the conflicts to ensure the sustainability of the resource. The water management system has been under the traditional and formal system in controlling the resource and managing the conflicts. The traditional institution through the use of its local leaders and furrow committee has been successful in hand ling the conflicts through negotiation and mediation processes. However, the stem is well organized but it lacks legal backups to enforce the laws that have been instituted. The low level of education also makes the resolution process slow and at large fail to the conflicts with large-scale irrigators. The traditional institution has succeeded to manage the water conflict in the study area by 48% and this suggests it to be the conflict management institution in the basin. PBWO has tried to resolve the water conflicts through the formation of water users association, the use of water right system as well as the use of water control gates at the junction of the furrow. However, few WUAs have been established and some have ambiguous jurisdiction with no funding for operation purposes. The findings show that the PBWO has managed to resolve the water conflicts by 21% only. The basin office has some weaknesses including insufficient manpower, sectorial planning, lack of qualified mediators, lack of representation in lower level and lack of effective participation of stakeholders in water conflict management.