All human beings need clean water to survive. Yet, for the millions of people living in slums, clean water is not readily available. In households without running water, a shared community tap is their only source of water. Due to pipe erosion, pollution and unsanitary conditions, most water that is available is contaminated and brings with it a high risk of disease and illness.
For residents of the slums in Nairobi where SHOFCO is working, the main sources of water for slum communities are either the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) or private vendors. High population density has limited NCWSC’s capacity to deliver. Due to the informal nature of the slums, it is difficult for outside service providers to accurately gauge community needs hence an approximately 12% piped water coverage. Private vendors have taken advantage of water shortage and are supplying often contaminated water to residents at a price ranging from Ksh20 to KSh30 ($0.20 cents to $0.30 cents) for a 20 liters’ jerry can.
Recognizing the transformative power of clean water, in 2012 , SHOFCO launched its water services with a 100,000-liter water tower in Kibera, built by Newman’s Own Foundation. In 2016, SHOFCO partnered with the Pentair Foundation to design and bring an innovative aerial water piping system to Kibera. The Safaricom Foundation later supported expansion of the project.
This is the only such system in Kenya and SHOFCO is the largest organization providing clean water in the slums. SHOFCO’s system is gravity-driven and uses overhead pipes supported by concrete and metal poles to supply water to 24 water kiosks across Kibera. Not only do residents benefit from treated water, this has proved disruptive to the monopoly enjoyed by local vendors and reduce.
