Next month WSUP will be discussing citywide sanitation, scaling up water businesses and other topics at the 41st WEDC conference in Nakuru, Kenya.
The conference, running from 9-13 July, is co-hosted with Egerton University (Nakuru) and will address the theme of “transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services”.
Nakuru is one of six cities in Kenya where WSUP has an active presence. We will share lessons from our research and on-the-ground activity in these cities in a variety of events throughout the week, led by WSUP’s Kenya team and featuring the institutional partners who are driving this work forward.
Join us at the following sessions:
Side event: Towards city wide sanitation: how can research drive sector change in Kenya?
Convenors: WASREB, Ministry of Health, WSUP
Tuesday 10th July: 17.15 – 18.45
This session will draw together key insights from the first phase of the Urban Sanitation Research Initiative Kenya. Participants will learn about diverse projects aimed at driving sector change in Kenya, from the potential introduction of a pro-poor sanitation surcharge to modelling willingness-to-pay, costs and the resulting financing gap for specific sanitation solutions. We will hear from the researchers involved (Aquaya and Overseas Development Institute); from WSUP’s Country Programme Manager for Kenya, Kariuki Mugo, and Eden Mati, Programme Coordinator; and from key institutional partners – WASREB, Ministry of Health, Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company (NAWASSCO) and Nakuru County Government – who have helped to shape research priorities, and who will now determine research uptake.
Read our latest blog on our partnership with WASREB
Side event: Stimulating the market for FSM in Kisumu: lessons for urban Kenya
Convenors: WSUP, Practical Action
Wednesday 11th July: 13.30 – 15.00
As Kenya’s third largest city, Kisumu offers significant market potential for FSM businesses. In this session we will outline how a coordinated set of activities are now underway in Kisumu – with the engagement of both Kisumu County Government and the utility, KIWASCO – aimed at creating the conditions for safe and professional FSM services to thrive. These activities extend along the service chain, ranging from the development of new regulations to stimulate fair competition and raise standards to demand creation. We will hear from WSUP Project Managers in Kisumu and Nakuru respectively, Emanuel Owako and Emily Kirigha; from Dickens Ochieng, whose SME Gasia Poa provides faecal waste emptying services to low-income households in Kisumu; from key institutional partners, Kisumu County Government and KIWASCO; and from Nakuru County Government, who will reflect on the implications of this work for Kenyan counties facing similar FSM challenges.
Paper presentation: Strengthening the enabling environment for urban sanitation: public-private collaboration in Kisumu, Kenya*
Tuesday 10th July (am) – Session 2
Collaboration between public and private actors is crucial for the successful delivery of safe, affordable and sustainable sanitation services in rapidly urbanising contexts. This presentation by Susan Kanga, WSUP Kenya Asst. Project Manager, will outline a new partnership model for faecal sludge management in Kisumu: the model brings together the County Public Health Office, the city’s utility (Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company – KIWASCO), and a sanitation business (Gasia Poa Waste Management Services), balancing the strengths of each stakeholder. We will explore how this approach was developed, its appeal to stakeholders, how programme activities are contributing to the strengthening FSM sector, and the next steps for the sector in Kisumu – and Kenya.
Paper presentation: Sector and project financing in Kenya: Financing strategies for service delivery
Tuesday 10th July (pm) – Session 3
Kenya requires innovative funding strategies, mechanisms and tools to ensure that it will reach national and international development goals regarding water and sanitation. This presentation by Eden Mati, WSUP Kenya Programme Coordinator, will outline the need to explore innovative funding tools and mechanisms to leverage finance from diverse sources, including new mechanisms such as climate-related funding; examine potential public financing strategies for the sector in Kenya; and provide recommendations for their monitoring and evaluation.
Paper presentation: Sustainopreneurship strategies to promote sustainable socially-oriented bottom of pyramid water supply businesses in Kisumu
Wednesday 11th July (am) – Session 5
This presentation by Emanuel Owako, WSUP Kenya Project Manager, will discuss ‘sustainopreneurship’ strategies that could be adopted by Kenyan bottom of the pyramid (BoP) water sector businesses. The discussion is guided by the findings of a 2017 assessment of small-scale and independent water providers in the city of Kisumu.
*Timings of all verbal presentations are subject to change on the day.
Learn more about our work in Kenya