ONCE A BUBBLING ECOSYSTEM IN WHICH PLANTS AND FISH THRIVED, THE NGONG RIVER HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A DEPOSITORY FOR HUMAN WASTE, GARBAGE AND OTHER POLLUTANTS AND CAN EASILY BE MISTAKEN TODAY FOR AN OPEN SEWERAGE SYSTEM.

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The brunt of water scarcity is felt in Kibera every day.

Kibera’s residents pay more for water than wealthy surrounding neighbourhoods, as they are forced to buy tap water at exorbitant prices from vendors and water cartels who operate without any regulatory mechanisms.

Furthermore, the majority of Kibera’s water pipes are plastic and run above the ground.

Houses in Kibera lack toilets and a direct connection to clean water. Access to sewage, drainage and garbage collection is non-existent. Hundreds of people usually share communal latrines. When the latrines fill up, they drain directly into the Ngong river that cuts through the settlement or empties it.

AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF SAFE DRINKING WATER IS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED AS A BASIC HUMAN NEED.

Even though policy changes and infrastructure improvements are significant, studies have shown that improving the water quality has no impact if the sanitation is not improved. 

Improving both water and sanitation together is synergistic in producing a more meaningful impact. Poor sanitation practices are standard in many urban slum settlements worldwide; thus, intensive behaviour change on sanitary practices is also paramount.