200 Years is a Long Time to Wait
It is time for different kind of sanitation enterprise in Kenya
Kenya did not achieve the crucial Millennium Development Goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Countrywide estimates indicated that in 2015, only 30% of Kenyans had access at least basic sanitation in urban areas with an additional 27% using shared latrines. The total number of people lacking access to at least basic sanitation in 2015 was 32 million. In 25 years, access to improved sanitation had increased by only 5 percent!
The Sustainable Development Goals have shifted from only addressing access to sanitation facilities to considering safe waste management along the entire sanitation service chain, from waste generation to disposal to re-use. Observing the trend, is there any way Kenya attain the goal of universal sanitation coverage by 2020 and end open defecation by 2030? If the current rate of sanitation increase is maintained, it would take Kenya another 200 years to achieve universal sanitation coverage and 200 years is a long time to wait!
What are the factors contributing to the problem?
In the last three decades, Kenya has experienced a high rate of urban growth. As a result, Nairobi, the capital city, has witnessed rapid urbanization which has contributed to the growth of slums and informal settlements. With the government’s inability to effectively plan and the large population, there is a huge unmet demand for critical infrastructure and basic services.
As the population continues to increases, more pressure is put on the capacity of Nairobi to provide services to its residents. The Kenyan government plays a key role in all aspect of urban development but it is weak in its mandate due to insufficient capacity and lack of adequate funds. Poor governance also contributes to the inability of the government to provide basic services. It is also unfortunate that urban planning hardly ever precedes settlements in the city and without proper planning, service utilities find it harder to provide essential services. The situation is even worse in the slums and informal settlements, where this situation disadvantages an already underserved population.
At present, nearly two-thirds of Nairobi’s residents live in these informal settlements which are characterized by poor quality housing, lack of basic services like electricity, water, sanitation, and healthcare facilities. Residents living in these settlements usually survive on less than two dollars a day and are unable to afford for these services, which often come at a high price. Within informal settlements, water costs 50 times more than it costs informal settlements.
What’s going on?
There is a common goal of ensuring that Kenyans have access to adequate sanitation by both state and non-state actors. There have been numerous policy reforms in the sanitation sector which was previously characterized by institutional fragmentation which led to numerous government inefficiencies. Besides policy reforms, there is an active civil society which includes many local NGOs and INGOs active in sanitation. In the recent past, some social enterprises are helping solve the sanitation crisis with innovative ideas and business models.
Why different players?
The constitution of Kenya makes access to proper and adequate sanitation a basic right for all, further reinforcing the need to urgently respond to the prevailing sanitation crisis. To date, much effort has been put into addressing the situation, but a lot more needs to be done if Kenya is to meet her sanitation goals. At Archimedes, we believe that universal sanitation can be achieved through collaboration and development of the right solutions for a country.
What are we doing about it?
According to a document titled ‘The True Cost of Poor Sanitation’ compiled by Oxford Economics to determine the link between the cost of sanitation and the factors behind it in 110 countries around the world, Kenya spends 57.4 billion Kenyan shillings dealing with sanitation problems. More than two-thirds of the cost is felt because people die from the water-borne disease, where diarrhea kills 3,100 children every year, 13% of Kenyans do not have a toilet and 17 million Kenyans do not have access to clean water. These statistics are quite staggering but they inspire innovation.
As a Nairobian, I am passionate about contributing to the positive growth of the city and I hope to drive change towards a cleaner, more sustainable and innovative city. I believe that clean water and sanitation are key to Nairobi’s sustainability and I am committed to solving this problem. I started working with Archimedes Project as a Fellow conducting a four-month Human-Centered Research on sanitation in Nairobi. From this research, I have identified challenges unique to providing sanitation in the urban slums of Nairobi.
The world has the technology, resources, and expertise necessary to get water and sanitation to those who need it and all that’s missing is a little leverage. Together with Archimedes Project, who believe in collaboration and focus on business model innovation, we shall be conducting a three-day Ideation Lab in March 2019 in Nairobi to design a sanitation business concept.
We are extending an invitation to local practitioners, sanitation experts, design experts, nonprofit leaders, business leaders, and academics to join us at the Ideation Lab. Interested persons in this great initiative can join as participants, mentors, judges or funders.
We do not have to wait 200 years for Kenya to achieve universal sanitation coverage, we can collectively contribute to solving the sanitation crisis.
This is a great opportunity to be a real Champion of Change. JOIN US!
Phyllis Gichuhi is a Nairobian, passionate about contributing to the positive growth of the city. A sustainability enthusiast, Phyllis is excited to be applying her experience and knowledge to a problem about which she is not only passionate, but feels is one of the most pressing social concerns of the day. In 2006, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation from the University of Nairobi. Phyllis has since built upon this undergraduate work, earning a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation from the African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) in 2012, and later acquiring a certificate in Social Innovation Management from the Amani Institute in 2016. She has four years of experience as a conservationist, three as an entrepreneur running a small business, and two working in the social sector.
