The Northern Water Works Development Agency (NWWDA) was earlier established as Northern Water Services Boards through a Kenya Gazette Notice No. 1716 dated 12th March 2004 as a State Corporation under the State Corporations Act and the Water Act 2002. The water Act 2016 was enacted and the Northern Water Services Board, was gazetted as Northern Water Works Development Agency vide special issue of Kenya Gazette No. 28 dated 26th April 2019.