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 TechnologyDevelopment Group) explores the impact of sanitation and water on gender and livelihoods in Maili Saba, a slum settlementon Nairobi’s outskirts.

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

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

Lack of legal tenure has been a significant constraintto improving facilities. Conflicts over land and threats of mass evictions byeither the government or landlords make residents wary of investing inpermanent structures.

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

• Not allinhabitants are equally poor: when new initiatives are planned very poor peopleoften find themselves unable to afford rates thought to be ‘reasonable’ byothers.
• Women areparticularly concerned about the safety and cleanliness of sanitation facilities.
• For womensanitation means more than just latrines: they want safe private places withsufficient water for personal use and washing clothes and better drainage toavoid dirty water remaining in the streets.
• Communitysanitation blocks have proven popular and provided an income for the communitygroups that run them: however, women and children use them less than men.

Current government policy is to withdraw fromdirect implementation and management of water schemes and instead hand themover to communities, local authorities and other service providers. Althoughthis new interest in communitycontrol is welcome, a greater recognitionof women’s particular responsibilities and needs is also required.

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

• recognisethat the populations of informal settlements are not all the same and will havedifferent needs
• consider thelives of residents and seek to understand what they believe ‘appropriatesanitation’ to be
• share lessonsand best practices so that successful pilot projects can be developed further
• regulariseland tenure, at least allowing for the provision of certain types of water andsanitation systems in unplanned urban areas
• effectivelyimplement the 2002 Water Act and work with water vendors to enable them toprovide a better service
• ensure that slum dwellers havemore realistic expectations of what the government can provide for them.