Nelly Wakio Micho
NELLY MICHO
Program Management | WASH & Water Governance | Development Specialist
Nelly Wakio Micho is a seasoned development professional with over 7 years of progressive experience in planning, managing, and implementing donor-funded projects in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Agriculture sectors. She holds a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, bringing a strong blend of technical, managerial, and social insight to program implementation.
As a dedicated member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) – Kenya Chapter and an active volunteer in the Social Impact Docket, she has built a reputation for driving impactful, community-centered development initiatives. Her expertise spans project coordination, institutional strengthening, water governance, stakeholder engagement, social development, and community empowerment.
Nelly has coordinated multi-sectoral projects funded by leading development partners including the European Union (EU), USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and KfW. She has worked extensively with water service providers (WSPs), Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), Water Users Associations (WUAs), and Irrigation Water Users Associations (IWUAs), supporting them to strengthen institutional capacity and adopt sustainable service delivery models.
She is experienced in managing and monitoring project budgets, overseeing contract management, and supporting the development of Management Information Systems (MIS) for data-informed decision-making. Her work has been instrumental in transitioning rural water services into more sustainable, community-managed structures and aligning projects with national and county-level policies.
Nelly brings a results-oriented, collaborative, and systems-thinking approach focused on delivering high-quality, sustainable solutions that transform lives and strengthen institutions at the grassroots.
Key Expertise & Impact:
- Program & Project Management: Over a decade of experience in designing, implementing, and managing complex multi-sectoral development programs, with a proven track record in donor-funded initiatives. Skilled in project planning, budgeting, M&E frameworks, risk management, and adaptive programming for sustainable impact.
- WASH & Water Governance: Deep technical expertise in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programming, including water resource management, hygiene behavior change, institutional WASH, and emergency response. Proficient in water governance systems, policy advocacy, and capacity building for water user associations and local institutions.
- Community Development & Empowerment: Adept at participatory approaches that place communities at the center of development. Experienced in gender-sensitive programming, community-led total sanitation (CLTS), and inclusive stakeholder engagement. Passionate about fostering local ownership and building community resilience.
- Partnership Building & Stakeholder Engagement: Strong ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder partnerships, including government, NGOs, private sector, and grassroots organizations. Experienced in policy dialogue, donor relations, and inter-agency collaboration.
- Capacity Building & Leadership Development: Track record in mentoring field teams and building institutional capacity at community and organizational levels. Skilled facilitator and trainer with a focus on results-based management and continuous learning.
- Sustainability & Systems Strengthening: Committed to long-term sustainability through systems thinking, integration of climate resilience into water programming, and promotion of decentralized service delivery models.