Stories of Change: Mukuru Water and Sanitation pilot project update
by Patrick Njoroge and Maureen Musya, AMT program officers
Project background
Nairobi is amongst Africa's most prominent cities; it is a vibrant cultural and financial center with powerful political reach. Today, this thriving metropolis is home to hundreds of major international bodies and corporations. Yet approximately 60 % of Nairobi’s population lives in informal settlements, which collectively occupy less than 2.6% of Nairobi’s land area. The lack of adequate housing and poor access to basic services in these densely populated informal settlements, result in threats to public health, low education achievement and high levels of unemployment. Inadequate housing and insecure tenure also affect the county’s social, economic and political stability.
One of the major limitations in addressing urban poverty and informality is insecure tenure and the lack of integrated development plans that are aligned to the countries plans and overall growth goals. In response to this challenge the county government of Nairobi on August 11th 2017, gazetted the slums of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben and Viwandani as a Special Planning Area in Accordance with the Constitution of Kenya and the provision of Section 23 and 52 of the Physical Planning Act Cap 286.
This Special Planning Area designation allows the County to enter and prepare an integrated development plan for informal settlements like Mukuru that experience special development challenges and opportunities over a two-year period. Nairobi City County formed 8 consortia to assist in the development of Mukuru plans amongst them was Water Sanitation and Energy (WSE) consortium. This consortium was tasked in coming up with innovative solution to the unique water and sanitation challenges residents of Mukuru faced.
Mukuru residents endure deplorable water and sanitation challenges with only 3,863 pit latrines serving 100,561 families. Water infrastructure in this area is wanting and is characterized by flimsy and disjointed spaghetti piping that passes through mucky drains. Despite these conditions, residents pay 400% more per cubic metre to extortionate cartels for contaminated water compared to formal county tariffs. The current conditions have resulted in an annual occurrence of cholera cases in Mukuru.
The WSE consortium developed sectoral, spatial and infrastructure designs which aimed at alleviating Mukuru’s water and sanitation challenges. Two of the innovations developed under the plan for short term implementation were Simplified Sewer System (SSS) and Pre-Paid Dispensers (PPDs). A simplified sewer describes a sewerage network that is constructed using smaller diameter pipes laid at a shallower depth and at a flatter gradient than conventional sewers. It allows for a more flexible design at lower costs. PPD on the other hand, is the technological innovation that allows consumers to purchase water through the use of prepaid water token. Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) in collaboration with Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT) and Water Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) agreed to try out these innovations’ trough a pilot project in Mukuru kwa Reuben targeting 1000 households. The project commenced in 2020 and has so far seen the construction of SSS network of 1.44km and a water network of 1.6km. In addition, 100 toilets have been connected to the SSS covering over 850 households and 10 PPDs constructed each serving 100 households.
Description of the change
The first step in the implementation of the two innovations was 100% household mapping and data collection throughout the pilot area. One of the findings was that there were 91 toilets serving 1,000 households. The people living in the structures without toilets had to pay Ksh. 5-10 per use hence spent a lot of money to access a toilet. During the implementation structure owners were mandated to construct toilets at the plot level. This has therefore, brought a significant change on the provision of sanitation facilities as indicated in the table below.
Before the pilot, residents used to get water from informal water vendors, NMS vehicles, boreholes and rain harvesting. Water from the water vendors was of poor quality and of high cost (Ksh. 5 for a 20L jerrycan). The pilot rolled out PPD as an alternative solution for the inefficient water system in the area. One PPD serves 100 households. Mosque road, having 965 residential/commercial doors, required 10 PPDs to serve the population. Water from the PPDs costs 50 cents for 20L jerrycan. The residents are therefore able to save 900% per 20L jerrycan bought.
Significance of the change
The project has had the following impacts to the residents:
Environmental impact – the project has enhanced a clean, healthy and safe environment through separation of humans from their waste.
Economic impact – the residents spend less to access better quality water and sanitation services.
Social impact – through improved dignity, privacy and security especially for women
Community involvement has promoted ownership and sustainability of the project.
Health impact – reduced number of water and sanitation related diseases. This will be monitored further in a 12-months evaluation of the project.
Contribution of the federation to bringing about the change
The federation (residents) have been actively involved in;
Mapping and numbering
Data collection process including household interviews, FGD, plot level meeting
Design and location identification process
Implementation process through provision of casual labour and construction of plot level toilets.
Monitoring phase.