Improving water and sanitation in Kenyan slums

Access to an improved water supply has been steadily decreasing for two decades in Kenya, with only 53% of urban households having a piped water supply. 71% of urban Kenyan families live in slums (UN-Habitat 2010), where access to water and sanitation is particularly poor. In Kisumu, 84% of slum households do not have water connections and the scarcity of water connections is particularly acute in Manyatta, Kisumu. The majority of households are forced to access water from vendors who charge exorbitant rates for water of dubious quality, thereby making regular access impossible, or water kiosks in neighbouring settlements where low water pressure and long commutes increase the time, cost and risks faced by households, particularly for women and girls, while in search of water. The poor water supply in slums affects other dimensions of poverty, including contributing to diarrhoeal diseases and a high level of infant mortality. Women and girls, who are usually responsible for sourcing water in the family, are affected through loss of quality time, livelihoods, education and increased vulnerability to diseases. Approximately three million people need access to safe water supply for Kenya to meet the Millennium Development Goals targets on water (UNDP, 2010). We are working with our partner in Kenya, Pamoja Trust, to improve access to safe water, sanitation and better living conditions in four informal settlements. This will be achieved by a project to form innovative partnerships for water and sanitation delivery to 37,980 people in Mashimoni and Muslim in Nairobi and Obunga and Manyatta in Kisumu. The water component of the project is being implemented in Kisumu and is expected to increase access to improved and sustainable water supply for 30,580 slum dwellers in the Obunga and Manyatta settlements. This is being achieved by promoting greater involvement of slum communities in basic service delivery and governance, building their capacity to implement and manage water infrastructure in partnership with the service providers, and promoting better collaboration between civil society and infrastructure providers.

Immediate impacts for the communities include reduced expenses due to lower cost of drinking water, better quality water in larger quantities, leading to a reduction in water-related diseases such as diarrhoea and hence a reduction of under-five mortality rates and a reduction in expenses linked to ill health. Other benefits include reduced time spent getting water, especially for women and girls, giving more time for income generation, education and social activities. Long-term impacts will include improved and sustained capacities among residents to address other challenges within the settlements, the development of strategic partnerships between communities and other stakeholders, particularly Water Boards and Water Service Providers, which will help to address other needs within the slums and offer workable strategies that can be replicated in other settlements and cities. Changes in policies and strategies promoted by this project, as well as the models of delivery and partnerships employed, will be documented and shared to ensure improved targeting of informal settlements thereby extending the benefits of this project over time to more beneficiaries. Case Study from Mashimoni Mashimoni is an incredibly dense slums in Nairobi that is home to more than 20,000 people. There are very few utility services, including water, sanitation and waste collection, available to residents. Utility providers do not recognise many slum dwellers as citizens of the city, and therefore do not provide services to them. Additionally, the crowded nature of slums means that it is difficult to lay utility pipes or build new facilities without demolishing houses.

55% of the residents of Mashimoni are tenants in their homes and therefore need to work closely with their landlords to install facilities or modify their house in any way. Many people are reluctant to invest in improving their properties and surroundings as they are always at risk of being evicted and their homes demolished by the government. As a result, the majority of residents live their whole life without access to basic water and sanitation facilities. The majority of households in Mashimoni do not have toilets, as there is no room to dig pit latrines, so some people will use communal toilets. However communal toilet are expensive, around £0.03p per person, and are pay-per-use so low income and large families cannot afford to use them. Often people are forced to resort to using ‘flying toilets’. The project in Mashimoni is ambitious and involves laying sewerage pipes underneath the settlement, which will then be connected to the main sewer pipeline. This will require careful planning as the narrow walkways between the houses are the only places where pipes can be laid without demolishing homes, however these are the main walkways used by people to cross the slum. When trenches are dug, pipes need to be laid quickly, and the trenches filled in straight away to prevent people, especially children, falling in holes or tripping. The dense nature of the settlement also means that it is difficult to find space to install toilets. A full assessment was carried out to identify small spaces between houses or in small store rooms where toilets could be installed.