NAIROBI (Reuters) - The World Bank will lend $150 million to Kenya to help three water service boards improve sanitation and access to safe drinking water.

The bank said in a statement late on Thursday that at present, only 60 percent of the east African nation's 36 million people have access to safe drinking water, and only 80 percent have access to basic sanitation.

"The project is expected to benefit about 9.3 million Kenyans in 27 districts with improved water and sanitation services, including residents of some of Kenya's largest urban informal settlements," the bank said.

The bank said the money will benefit water service boards at the coast, the Lake Victoria region in western Kenya and near Nairobi.