Linking sanitation, water and livelihoods in Nairobi slums

Nairobi’s slums are among the most unsanitary in the world. Women are more affected by these conditions than men. Kenyan policymakers are becoming more aware of women’s role in providing, managing and safeguarding water and sanitation services. However, they lack knowledge of how access varies by gender and across wealth groups.

A report from Practical Action (formerly the Intermediate Technology Development Group) explores the impact of sanitation and water on gender and livelihoods in Maili Saba, a slum settlement on Nairobi’s outskirts.

The hundreds of thousands of residents of Nairobi’s informal settlements pay more and travel further to obtain water and access sanitation services than richer neighbours in recognised settlements. Projects to assist them have been unsystematic, badly coordinated and benefited only small numbers of people.

In the absence of state provision, local entrepreneurs sell water and residents collect it from wells, boreholes and roofs. Landlords build poor-quality latrines and bathrooms for their tenants. The widespread use of ‘flying toilets’ (faeces-filled plastic bags), poor drainage and overflowing pit latrines affect the health of all residents. Water vendors face harassment from government and water company officials and hostility from residents, especially when they raise their prices during times of shortage.

Lack of legal tenure has been a significant constraint to improving facilities. Conflicts over land and threats of mass evictions by either the government or landlords make residents wary of investing in permanent structures.

Researchers found that in Maili Saba, one of the Nairobi sample informal settlements:

• Not all inhabitants are equally poor: when new initiatives are planned very poor people often find themselves unable to afford rates thought to be ‘reasonable’ by others.
• Women are particularly concerned about the safety and cleanliness of sanitation facilities.
• For women sanitation means more than just latrines: they want safe private places with sufficient water for personal use and washing clothes and better drainage to avoid dirty water remaining in the streets.
• Community sanitation blocks have proven popular and provided an income for the community groups that run them: however, women and children use them less than men.

Current government policy is to withdraw from direct implementation and management of water schemes and instead hand them over to communities, local authorities and other service providers. Although this new interest in community control is welcome, a greater recognition of women’s particular responsibilities and needs is also required.

The researchers recommend that the authorities and non-governmental agencies do more to:

• recognise that the populations of informal settlements are not all the same and will have different needs
• consider the lives of residents and seek to understand what they believe ‘appropriate sanitation’ to be
• share lessons and best practices so that successful pilot projects can be developed further
• regularise land tenure, at least allowing for the provision of certain types of water and sanitation systems in unplanned urban areas
• effectively implement the 2002 Water Act and work with water vendors to enable them to provide a better service
• ensure that slum dwellers have more realistic expectations of what the government can provide for them.

Source(s):
‘Livelihoods and gender in sanitation hygiene water services among urban poor: Maili Saba Research Report, Intermediate Technology Development Group East Africa, March 2005 Full document.
'Livelihoods & Gender... Sanitation and Water Services in Sanitation, Hygiene and Water Services among the Urban Poor' Environmental Sanitation, Practical Action/ODI Research Report Field Update 06 Sept 2005

Funded by: Knowledge and Research (KaR) programme, (R8028 and R8034)

id21 Research Highlight: 14 February 2006

Further Information:
David Kuria
Water and Environmental Sanitation Unit
Intermediate Technology Development Group East Africa
AAYMCA Building (Second Floor)
Along State House Crescent
P.O. Box 39493, Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: +254 20 2715293 / 2719313 / 2719413
Fax: +254 20 710083
Contact the contributor: david.kuria@itdg.or.ke

Practical Action (formerly ITDG) - East Africa

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