Ngatatoek Town is situated along the Athi River-Namanga Highway in Kajiado County,

Mashuuru Sub-county. Many residents of the town rely on groundwater from privately operated

boreholes as the area is arid and no permanent water bodies are in the region. Boreholes have also been provided by the County Government of Kajiado in a bid to improve accessibility of water for its denizens.

The boreholes available provide water for the local community. Water vendors get their water from these wells and thereafter they supply it to the local community in jerricans. Other residents however fetch the water straight from the wells by themselves. In some boreholes water is pumped not only for the residents but also for livestock as the residents are mostly pastoralists. The locals expressed concern that the water has a salty taste and it does not form lather easily with soap. Scaling of water boiling equipment is also a problem faced by the citizens of the area.

Recent increase in the population of the town has led to an increase in the demand of freshwater for domestic use. Therefore, serious attention needs to be placed to understand the importance and control of water quality so as to ensure compliance with drinking water guidelines developed and set by the World Health Organization. This study is therefore meant to determine the physical, biological and chemical properties of this water to see whether they meet the WHO Guidelines and thereafter offer appropriate solutions on improving its quality if it falls short of the Guidelines.