Achieving universal sanitation in informal settlements will depend on improved onsite sanitation, as sewer systems are unlikely to be viable solutions due to technical and political constraints. In Nairobi, Kenya, 60% of the population live among its 150 informal settlements, occupying only 5% of its total residential land. This research assessed the role of informal pit emptiers in providing sanitation in Mukuru and Kibera, two of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, and the barriers to achieving improved services. Through qualitative data collection, the research found that pit emptiers are institutionally and physically outside of the current paradigm of sanitation service delivery. There is no infrastructure available to remove waste from informal settlements, except for a transfer station that is being piloted by Sanergy, and instead waste ends up disposed in the community. The pit emptiers also face violence and intimidation from competitors or locals claiming ownership of territory. Providing improved sanitation in such areas will depend on the provision of new infrastructure, but this can only succeed with a detailed understanding of the competing and vested interests that can enable or undermine a project.
Kenya has enshrined the right to sanitation in the 2010 constitution. Achieving this requires scaling up infrastructure and models of delivery beyond sewer networks that have previously been the focus. In Kenya, two enterprises, Sanergy and Sanivation, have been providing new forms of off‐grid services with container‐based sanitation (CBS). This paper uses a political economy analysis to understand the incentives, institutions and power dynamics that are enabling or constraining the potential for such off‐grid sanitation models. The paper outlines six core problems to be addressed in the pursuit of scaling up: fragmented governance; sustainability of CBS enterprise models; service delivery planning in informal settlements; personal power rather than institutions in decision‐making; vested local interests; and land tenure and political connection. It discusses how stakeholders might work collaboratively to progressively address or recognise these issues.
Container-based sanitation (CBS) is increasingly used to provide safely managed sanitation in low-income urban settlements. However, questions remain around the viability of scaling up the technology, partly because it relies on regular emptying and servicing of containers by a CBS provider. This paper investigates mechanisms by which this process can be achieved efficiently. Three separate collection strategies are evaluated for their routing efficiencies as CBS goes to scale. An open-source route optimisation solver determines the constituent driving and walking distances necessary for each strategy and has been applied in areas of Cape Town, Cap-Haïtien, Lima and Nairobi. The results indicate that with fewer users (e.g. 50) transfer station models offer the shortest driving routes. However, these do require users to carry their containers (e.g. up to 170 m when stations are 100 m apart). As the number of users increases (e.g. to 5,000), visiting individual houses from a neighbourhood depot offers increasingly efficient driving distances. Overall, however, the results suggest that economies in collection distances for scaled CBS will be largely conditional on greater vehicle capacity (rather than any particular provision strategy). This highlights the importance of road access throughout low-income urban settlements in providing a viable CBS service at scale.
Provision of adequate sanitation is among the common approaches of preventing sanitation-related diseases. However, provision of sanitation facilities may not be a sustainable sanitation solution unless the population’s behavior changes and a positive perception is embraced. This paper underlines the influence of cultural factors on adoption of sanitation practices in rural areas. The article is based on field research employing convergent mixed methods research designs where both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered simultaneously. Quantitative data was gathered using structured questionnaires from 100 household heads selected using stratified and proportionate simple random sampling techniques. Qualitative data was collected using interview guides from a purposively selected focus group consisting of 9 participants. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 which generated descriptive and inferential statistics to unveil the relationship between variables. Qualitative data was organized into themes and presented in narratives. From the findings, a unit increase in gender roles would lead to a 0.147 increase in adoption of sanitation practices (p-value=0.000) and a unit increase in traditions would lead to a 0.032 decrease in adoption of sanitation practices (p-value=0.014). From the qualitative findings, some religions associated diarrhea with demons other than poor sanitation which was seen to facilitate adoption of poor sanitation practices. Further, the qualitative findings revealed that faeces left in the open could be used for witchcraft purposes, a tradition which had a positive impact on eradicating open defecation. The study recommends women inclusion in household sanitation matters. The study revealed the need for incorporation of leaders as advocates of sanitation behaviour change. The study also recommends future studies to examine adoption of sanitation practices alongside environmental, demographic and economic factors.
Sanitation is one of the basic determinants of quality of life and human development index. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices are major causes of ill health and socio-economic problems, and portray a major development barrier in most developing countries. Meru County government loses 816 million shillings each year due to poor sanitation, with pit latrine coverage of 60%. Diarrhea and related illnesses account for 16% of deaths among the children below 5 years and stand second to pneumonia in Meru County. This study sought to assess the motivational determinants influencing sanitation practices in rural settlements of Tigania East Sub- County, in Meru County. A descriptive study design was used with a sample size of 150 households calculated using Fisher’s formula. Cluster sampling technique was used in categorizing Tigania East Sub-County into its respective wards and simple random sampling technique employed in selection of households from the clusters. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 using descriptive and inferential statistics for quantitative, while qualitative data was presented thematically. Findings revealed that 70% of the respondents were not satisfied with using sanitation facilities in poor states. Absence of safety, privacy, poor design of the superstructure, inaccessibility of toilets, and cultural beliefs encouraged poor sanitation practices such as open defecation. Some of the residents believed that children faeces are safe and was disposed in the garden, bush and composite pit. This was influenced by behaviour of the people within the community due to lack of knowledge on effects on sanitation practices. The study recommends the need to address motivational determinants as they influence sanitation practices in rural areas through training to the residents. The study also recommends government collaboration with sanitation-related bodies coupled with health promotion activities by Public Health Officers to support the construction of improved toilets in the study area
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