Social Enterprise: the solution to urban sanitation in unrecognized slums?

During Tatiana's lecture a surprising fact caught my attention. Initially, I thought private apartment sanitation would be the obvious choice for safer sanitation due to piped water sources. However, despite access to piped water in apartments in Mathare, many people choose to walk to outdoor communal toilets because they are more sanitary (Gulyani 2008). I wondered how this could be, since the open system would be more prone to contaminated water sources and shared by many people with little supervision over cleaning. Somewhat predictably, it turns out to be in part because of the same political sources that prevent improvements in the area to begin with.

The "nicer" apartments are owned by politicians who use the profits off renting as a substitute for retirement pension that the government does not give them. Since it is a profit seeking venture, there is no regulation over safety conditions, and there is adequate demand for the present conditions so improvements are foregone. Because of this, the piped water sources are often unreliable or don't work at all. In addition to the lack of adequate piped systems to ensure water safety, physical safety in general is a greater concern than safe water in these developments. Just this past April, two six-story buildings of this nature collapsed within days of each other in Mathare, which confirms a concern over general safety (Kenya Today).

Consequently, this raises concerns over whether politicians have the best interest of all citizens in mind both when creating policies and also when making business decisions in the case of individual development ventures.

This presents a stark contrast to the positive improvements I explored last week. Ikotoilet and Shining Hope for Communities are making strides in sanitation and community engagement, and perhaps offer a longer term solution to problems of sanitation.

Traditionally, sanitation has been seen as a government issue. But what if the government has little to incentive to improve conditions in places like Kibera and Mathare? In this case, I would like to suggest that perhaps social enterprise is the answer to improving sanitary conditions, using Ikotoilet as one example.

The Mathare apartment developments exemplify how people are motivated by financial incentives. In the case of Ikotoilet, employees and executives alike are incentivized to improve conditions and work towards a sustainably successful business because their income depends on it. Areas that are most neglected by the government are potentially the most profitable because no other sanitation opportunities exist, eliminating competition (Santos 2012).

While non-profit groups are great, they depend on grants and donations so their bottom line isn't affected by slow or unproductive improvements. I do think they add a great benefit and should continue to contribute to the sanitation landscape, but might not be the solution to the problem, rather a temporary fix.

Surely there are enough socially and civilly minded entrepreneurs out there that this idea could catch on. While there is no way to say if it could be a permanent solution, I would be interested to see what kind of regeneration could take place if sanitation enterprises took root in previously ignored slums –admittedly widespread job creation, sanitation improvements, and a positive cycle that follows in the reverse of the status quo is idealistic, but I hold out hope that a solution exists, even if it is not on behalf of social enterprises in the end.

Sanitary Water Initiatives: Clean Water and Culture Change

In sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of disease is water-born (United Nations, 2003). Since Kibera is not recognized by its government, water is privatized. The privitized water is sold by vendors at a higher price and lower quality than what is available in the rest of Nairobi. Unsealed latrines, open sewers, and improper drains characterize sanitation in Kibera. Unsurprisingly, diseases like malaria and typhoid are therefore common and water-born disease continues to spread.

So what are people doing about the problem and how can sanitation in Kibera be improved? Following are two examples of projects that aim to create clean water systems in Kibera and my views on their progress.

David Kuria: Ikotoilet


(Photo Credit: Forbes: Why Sanitation Business Is Good Business)

In 2003 BBC report on sanitation in different countries featured David Kuria, who was planning to revolutionize the use of toilets in Kibera. He said his goal was to create an environmentally friendly toilet that also serves as a community center, library, and clean water distribution point, called the Ikotoilet. Kuria asked the Kiberan people what they wanted most and sanitation ranked the highest, however there exists a taboo around sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa, wherein it is not common to talk about toilets. Kuria set out to change this culture in order to improve health (BBC 2003).

In 2010, Kuria appeared on Circle of Blue's 5 for 15 interview radio channel and shared the success of his project so far. According to Kuria, 40 Ikotoilets are used throughout Kenya as both sanitary toilets and as meeting spaces. The Ikotoilet is now a place to use an ATM, buy a soft drink, meet a friend, or get your shoes polished (Maddocks, 2010).

I am very impressed with the work Kuria was able to do for sanitation in Kenya. In his first interview with BBC in 2003, he was particularly emphatic about the state of Kibera, however in the 2010 interview, he focused mainly on Kenya as a whole. I wonder if the reality of implementing this project was too difficult to achieve with a focus on Kibera or if he plans to put more energy to Kibera in the future. I am also impressed with the culture change he achieved around sanitation. Whereas it would have previously been taboo to speak of a toilet, it is now common say "let's meet at the Ikotoilet on whatever street" because it is the most apparent landmark. Before sanitation change can happen in a community, the community must be willing to talk about it, so this seems like a project that is changing a culture while delivering tangible change at the same time.

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO): Holistic WASH Program

SHOFCO is improving the Kibera community through education, health, community empowerment, and water and sanitation initiatives by placing girls at the center of change. Their Kibera School for Girls serves as a community center where other activities, initiatives, and opportunities for the whole community take place. WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and is the project that I will focus on.

Holistic water and sanitation means more than just implementing clean water stations. Similarly to the Ikotoilet, the Holistic WASH Program is interested creating a cultural shift. By making the girls school the center for their clean water distribution, they hope to change the community attitude more positively towards women and girls (SHOFCO, 2013).

Their reports from 2013 show their model for social change and sanitary change worked well. Along with the other three initiatives and various activities hosted at the girls school, the Holistic WASH Program helped to improve attitudes towards women and lower rates of sexual violence. Additionally, they contributed tangible improvements in clean water distribution and clean toilets (2013 SHOFCO Community Survey).


(Photo Credit: SHOFCO Impact Community Surveys)

I am impressed by both projects because they do more than simply give out clean water or drop in a toilet and leave. It is clear that impact needs to be sustainable, which as these two initiatives show are rooted in the community and its beliefs. I am becoming more critical of sustained impacts and addressed the roots of problems. While culture and beliefs don't change quickly, they are the root of change and I aim to become more critical of temporary solutions that don't account for the long-term, using programs like these as an example.

Introducing Water in Kibera

I am interested in exploring issues related to water in Kibera in order to understand one part of the complex issue of clean water in Africa. I hope to explore a range of research and opinions that exist in the academic and non-academic spheres in order to shape my own view of the essence of this issue and how it truly exists.

In the academic article, “Scarce, costly, and uncertain: water access in Kibera, Nairobi,” Ben Crow of the University of California Santa Cruz and Edmond Odaba explore why access to water is so burdensome and uncertain in Kibera. Kibera is one of the largest urban slums in Africa, home to about 700,000 to one million people. Crow suggests that access to clean water is highly politicized in the informal settlement, or slum. He suggests three factors work together to limit access to water. First is the post-colonial Kenyan government does not see Kibera as a legitimate part of the country. I find that surprising considering a quarter of Kenya’s population lives here and it is clear that it poses a real problem for tackling issues for regulating who gets the water. That is connected to his second factor, which is unregulated landlords building on ground that isn’t necessarily theirs. Finally, he says this all connects to the third factor which is the prominence of gangs and cartels working with the city government. The argument Crow makes is complex, and I want to focus on one point he emphasizes which is the cost of water.

In class we discussed how the problem with access to clean water is not a result of lack of funds. When we spoke about the topic we were speaking generally about the governments being able to afford clean water for their countries. As Crow points out, it is problematic that Kibera is not legitimized by its government because that implies the Kenyan authorities do not regulate the water there. Prices for water vary based on how much water is available and who is controlling the water in Kibera. A 20-liter jerry can of water varies from K Sh 2-3 when there is a lot of water available to K Sh 5-10 when only a few vendors have water. Vendors can also take advantage of shortages to make huge profits. Finally, there are several middle men, who lay pipes, take bribes for connections, and charge tariffs who contribute to the high prices. Shortages are common and the pipes are difficult to maintain. It seems to me that small scale groundwater wells might be a more sustainable and affordable option in this case. Instead of depending on the Nairobi Water Company to provide a few lines for everyone, small groups could share a well to provide their water. Since the water is rationed in Kibera the individual well model would also help eliminate a tragedy of the commons effect, wherein one person can jeopardize the supply by taking too much. Right now there is one alternative to the pipes which is a single borehole in Kibera. While it provides an alternative for getting water, the opportunity cost to reach the borehole and bring water back to the home prevents women from engaging in many other activities. Next I want to explore the effects of water scarcity and lack of access to water in Kibera on women.

Crow, Ben; & Odaba, Edmond. (2009). Scarce, costly and uncertain: water access in Kibera, Nairobi. Center for Global, International and Regional Studies. UC Santa Cruz: Center for Global, International and Regional Studies. Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8c10s316