Northern Water Services Board (NWSB) is a regional state corporation created under the Water Act 2002 to ensure availability of sufficient potable water and sanitation services for the people of the region through agents called Water Services Providers.

The Board was established through a Gazette Notice No. 1716 of March 2004, as one of the eight (8) water service boards within the country, all of which were created under the Water Act 2002.

The Board covers seven (7) arid/semiarid Counties i.e. Isiolo, Laikipia, Garissa, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu and Wajir; all of which have a total area of approx, 244,860 Km2 (about 43% of Kenya). This area has a population of about 3.4 million people (2009) census and over 4.5million livestock.

The yearly precipitations vary from 300mm to 1000mm and temperature variation of 220 to 390 centigrade and the main economic activity is livestock keeping where water points targeting livestock remain the highest in number.