Kenya- Situational analysis on CLTS/SLTS/ULTS
Contents
1.
Kenya Fact overview ....................................................................................................................... 2
2.
Sanitation overview ........................................................................................................................ 2
3.
Pan Africa CLTS programme in Kenya ............................................................................................. 4
4.
Institutional mapping ...................................................................................................................... 5
5.
Already existing platforms (networks, LAs) .................................................................................... 5
6.
Background information-Kenya ...................................................................................................... 7
Annex 1: Reference review ................................................................................................................... 12
Annex 2: Case studies ........................................................................................................................... 14
1
1. Kenya Fact overview

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Population : 40,000,000 hab. In 2010 (CIA)
GDP/capita PPP : 1,784$US in 2010 (IMF)
Main economic activities : Services, Agriculture (forestry, fishing, coffee), Food-processing
and cement industries
Major cultural groups: Notable peoples include the Swahili on the coast, pastoralist
communities in the north, and several different communities in the central and western
regions.
Religions: Christian (80%), Islam (10%), Animist (10%)
Political regime : Semi-presidential republic
Climate : climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate inland to arid in the north
and northeast parts of the country
2. Sanitation overview

Figures
46% of Kenyans have access to adequate sanitation, meaning that about 54% are still
engage in open defecation.

Responsible authority for sanitation
Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MoPHS) is in charge of policies for sanitation. The
Ministry of Education co-operates with MoPHS in the area of school sanitation by
participating in Water and Sanitation Programme Committees.

Policies/strategies in place
The current legal framework for the Kenyan water and sanitation sector is based on the
Water Act Nr. 8 of 2002 which became effective in March 2003.[33] The 2002 Water Act
introduced far reaching reforms based on the following principles:





the separation of the management of water resources from the provision of water
services;
the separation of policy making from day to day administration and regulation;
decentralization of functions to lower level state organs;
the involvement of non-government entities in the management of water resources
and in the provision of water services.
To guide the implementation of the Water Act, a draft National Water Services
Strategy (NWSS) for the years 2007-2015 was formulated in June 2007. Its mission is
to "realise the goals of the MDG declaration and the Vision 2030 of the Kenyan
Government concerning access to safe and affordable water and basic sanitation by
responsive institutions within a regime of well defined standards and regulation."
2
NWSS is based on the identification of sustainable access to safe water and basic
sanitation as a human right and an economic good. Among the core commitments
are: cost recovery by water service providers to ensure sustainable water and
sanitation for all and the formalisation of service provision.[11][35] In addition, MWI
also elaborated pro-poor implementation plans.[7]
To harmonise the institutional framework for sanitation Ministry of Water and Irrigation
MWI and the MoPHS have developed a common Water Supply and Sanitation Concept
with clearly defined sanitation targets.

Challenges in country
72% of the excreta disposal facilities in Kenya are simple pit latrines providing varied
degrees of safety, hygiene and privacy. In the last 20 years, ventilated improved pit (VIP)
latrines have been introduced by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation with support
from bilateral donors and other stakeholders. However, the initiative failed to scale-up as
the designs promoted then were not affordable by the majority of Kenyans. This situation
was also compounded by diverse cultural and social factors, varying from one community to
another, that hinder sanitation and hygiene promotion.

Major ongoing programmes/initiatives

History of CLTS in Kenya
CLTS was introduced in Kenya in May 2007, following two training workshops in Tanzania
and Ethiopia which three of Plan Kenya WATSAN staff attended. Since then, the approach
has been rolled out in all 8 Development Areas (comprising 14 districts) where Plan
operates. From one Open Defecation Free (ODF) village (Jaribuni in Kilifi District) in
November 2007, there are now, in early 2009, close to 50 awaiting verification to be
declared ODF. In 7 out of the 14 districts where Plan operates, CLTS is steadily becoming a
movement that has great potential in addressing sanitation and hygiene. Some of the
villages have been triggered following formal CLTS training while others have taken
particular interest and self-initiative as a result of the influence of natural leaders and other
committed community members from neighbouring triggered villages, to stop open
defecation.
Since May 2008, Plan Kenya has played a key role in equipping various government and
NGO staff, including youth, children and teachers with CLTS facilitation skills, while at the
same time supporting implementation. So far, about 500 CLTS facilitators have been trained
and close to 200 villages have been triggered. Plan Kenya, in partnership with the Ministry
of Public Health and Sanitation, UNICEF, Aga Khan Foundation, NETWAS and other key
WATSAN NGOs and CBOs, has facilitated training of personnel drawn from these partners
with a view to creating a critical mass of CLTS facilitators who, with various frontline staff at
the community level, are now engaged in triggering villages and therefore rolling out CLTS in
their places of work.
3
There is now a growing movement amongst NGOs and agencies such as UNICEF, Aga Khan,
NETWAS, government line ministries of Public health and Sanitation and Ministry of Water
and Irrigation, local authorities and natural leaders (including children) from ODF
communities to advocate for and scale-up CLTS in a number of districts in Nyanza and Coast
Provinces where conditions are favourable.
3. Pan Africa CLTS programme in Kenya
 Target population
600,000 persons, from the Coast Region (Kilifi, Msambweni, Kinango, Kwale and Ganze districts),
Nyanza Region (Homabay, Ndhiwa, Suba and Rachuonyo, districts) and selected informal
settings in the City of Nairobi

Specific objectives/country:
Overall objectives:
1. To contribute towards reduction of infant and child morbidity and mortality in Kenya.
2. To empower rural and peri-urban communities in Kenya to improve their sanitation and
hygiene practices
Specific objectives:
1. To improve sanitation and hygiene practices in rural and peri-urban communities and
schools in Kenya
2. To conduct action research, generate knowledge base and insights concerning Community
Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS), and Urban Led Total
Sanitation (ULTS) for sharing with other stakeholders with a view to informing and improving
program implementation.
3.
To strengthen the capacity of stakeholders and establish networks for CLTS, SLTS and
UTS implementation
 Progress (in 2010):
1. Launched discussions on sanitation between stakeholders like landlords and tenants,
community members and the relevant government ministries departments, among others.
2. Enhancement of individual and institutional capacity and awareness on ULTS to enable them
to collectively confront the sanitation challenges, address problems and execute their
mandate.
3. Mobilizing and partnering with individuals, groups and organizations to form a united front
to seek solutions to the numerous problems that slow community development initiatives.
4. Enhanced visibility and concerns of sanitation through the mapping process that was
conducted and the visits by Plan Kenya staff during the 2nd week of June.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Challenges (in 2010):
Uptake slow/not the same
Allowance culture
Doubt and scepticism
Lack of willingness to let go
Weak M&E reporting
4
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Dependency syndrome
Finding good facilitators
Triggering without adequate mechanisms
Inadequate support and mentoring
Private sector inability to come-up with affordable technological innovations-dependency!
CLTS health outcomes/impact research of CLTS intervention on diarrhea control and
reduction in child mortality
4. Institutional mapping
 Government agencies
Ministry of Public health and Sanitation
Ministry of Water and Irrigation

Major donors
 Majors INGOs
UNICEF,
Aga Khan,
NETWAS
Plan Kenya
 Major local NGOs

Other relevant actor
5. Already existing platforms (networks, LAs)
Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Inter-Agency Coordination Committee
Level: national
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant):
Actors involved, leaders: The ICC is chaired by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, and
includes representatives from the Ministries of Water Resources and of Education, Science and
Technology, donors and development partners such as WSP, UNICEF and national and
international NGOs.
Contact organisation/person: Beth Karanja Kenya, Associate Consultant- NETWAS International
List of ongoing topics: The ICC has six thematic working namely on School WASH, Hygiene
Promotion, Sanitation Promotion, Policy, Resources Mobilization & Research, Household Water
Treatment & Storage and General & Health Care Waste Management.
National sanitation technical working group,
Level: national
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders:
Contact organisation/person:
List of ongoing topics
CLTS national committee
Level: national
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
5
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues discussed
Water and Sanitation technical working group
Level: Regional
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
WatSan stakeholder group
Level: District
Frequency of meeting, location (if constant)
Actors involved, leaders
Contact organisation/person
List of ongoing topics/issues
6
6. Background information-Kenya
1. Introduction
Water supply and sanitation in Kenya is characterized by low levels of access, in particular in
urban slums and in rural areas, as well as poor service quality in the form of intermittent
water supply. Only 9 out of 55 water service providers in Kenya provide continuous water
supply.[3] Seasonal and regional water scarcity exacerbates the difficulty to improve water
supply.
The Kenyan water sector underwent far-reaching reforms through the Water Act No. 8 of
2002. Previously service provision had been the responsibility of a single National Water
Conservation and Pipeline Corporation as well as of a few local utilities established since
1996. After the passage of the act service provision was gradually decentralized to 117
Water Service Providers (WSPs). These are linked to 8 regional Water Services Boards
(WSBs) in charge of asset management through Service Provision Agreements (SPAs). The
Act also created a national regulatory board (WASREB) that carries out performance
benchmarking and is in charge of approving SPAs and tariff adjustments. The Ministry of
Water and Irrigation is in charge of policies for water supply and the Ministry of Public
Health and Sanitation is in charge of policies for sanitation.
Although urban water tariffs are high by regional standards (US$0.46 per m3 on average in
2007)[4] the level of cost recovery is low due to a high level of non-revenue water (average
of 47%) [8] and high costs. Costs are high due to the need to tap distant water sources (e.g.
Mombasa is supplied from a source located 220 km from the city) and due to high levels of
staffing (11 workers per 1000 connections or more than twice the sector benchmark). [9]
Investment in the sector increased fivefold from US$55m in 2004-05 to almost US$300m in
2008-09. 58% of this amount was financed by the government with its own resources, 31%
by external donors and 11% was self-financed by utilities.[6]
2. Historical overview
The history of the water and sanitation sector in Kenya is characterised by institutional
fragmentation that led to numerous inefficiencies and by subsequent attempts at reform.
Beginnings. The history of piped water supply in Kenya can be traced back to the period of
the East African Protectorate. At that time water supply was focused on the needs of
colonial settlements. The administration of water supply was carried out by the Hydraulic
Branch of the Public Works Department, which started operating in the coastal city of
Mombasa. The construction of the Uganda Railway in 1896 provided an important impetus
for the development of water pipelines in the interior of the country along the railway line.
Colonial period. Between 1920 and independence in 1963 the first attempts were made at
regulating water supply in the colony and protectorate of Kenya, while responsibility was
7
shared by many institutions. In the 1950s and early 60s, responsibility for the administration
of water supply was split between three institutions: the Ministry of Works operating in
urban centres with centralised water service provision; Local Authorities that were deemed
capable of managing water supply; and the Water Development Department, which was
responsible for developing new water supplies for urban and rural centres. Bulk water to
Mombasa was provided by the Mombasa Pipeline Work, while day to day operations of
water pipelines were carried out by the water department. There was no single framework
for the administration and management of water. In 1952 the Water Act Cap 372 was
enacted, which remained the legal basis for the water sector until 2002.[29]
In the sanitation subsector there was no functioning institutional framework either.
Officially, the 1921 Public Health Ordinance gave the Ministry of Health the role of
administering sanitation, but it was rarely enforced. The local population, moreover, was
reluctant to adopt sanitary measures imposed by the colonial government. Between 1929
and 1939 intense public health education campaigns were carried out which led to the
diffusion of pit latrines. By 1954 different types of sanitation were in use in different parts of
Kenya: pit latrines were in use in most native reserves, bucket type latrines prevailed in
towns while waterborne sanitation was used in the European quarters of major towns.
During the Mau Mau uprising Africans were concentrated in detention camps and local
markets were kept closed out of fear of rebellion. This led to the neglect of adequate
sanitation and in the proliferation of communal latrines.[30]
Independent Kenya (1963–1980). As Kenya gained independence in 1963, attempts at
simplifying the administration of water supply resulted in the transferral of all organisations
responsible for water to the Ministry of Agriculture in 1964. The distribution of
responsibilities and authority was however unclear and led to bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
In 1965 the government led by Jomo Kenyatta stated in the Sessional Paper No. 10 on
African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya that government policy had to be
directed towards the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and disease. This initiated a period of
active involvement in water policy by the government, based on the principle that water is a
social good to be either provided free of charge or subsidised. As a result, water tariffs
between 1970 and 1981 were heavily subsidised and in contradiction with the principle of
operating cost recovery. Throughout the 1960s, the Environmental Sanitation Programme
supported by WHO-UNICEF was carried out in Kenya with the aims of developing water
supplies for small rural communities, improving waste disposal methods and providing
sanitary education for the rural population. The rural water supply schemes set up as part of
the programme were operated by County Councils (under the Ministry of Local
Government). In 1972 about 560 rural water supply schemes were running in Kenya and
provided water to a population of about 664,000, UNICEF reported. Local communities also
started developing their own water supplies and set up water committees: they received
training about design systems, hydraulic calculations, costs and submission methods. A
follow up study by UNICEF carried out in 1974 showed the many problems that affected
these projects. In 1970 the Government of Kenya signed a credit agreement with Sweden to
finance Rural Water Supply Development. The WHO was to provide a study of the water
situation in the country. The study, completed in 1973, showed that in Kenya there was a
major lack in senior and technical staff; while donors could provide most development
funds, current expenditure could not be covered by local funds and the Government lacked
8
a long term plan of water supply development. In response, a fully fledged Ministry of
Water Resources Management and Development was created in 1974. The ministry took
over government operated water schemes as well as those operated by county councils.[31]
In the same year the National Water Master Plan Initiative was launched. Its primary aim
was to develop new water supply schemes and secure access to potable water within
reasonable distance to all Kenyans. The initiative bore the slogan, “Water for all by the year
2000.”[21]
3. Difficulties and reform plans (1980–2002).
In the 1980s, the government began experiencing budget constraints which put strain on
the ambitious projects of providing universal access to safe water and expanding the water
and sewerage systems. Priority was given to the rehabilitation of existing schemes and the
construction of large scale water projects such as the Baricho and Kilimanjaro water
schemes.[21] In 1980 a National Sanitation Council was established to sensitise the
population about the health benefits of sanitation and to advise and guide local authorities
on the matter. The Council slowly faded without accomplishing its mandate.[30] In 1983 a
Water Use Study carried out by SIDA confirmed that the situation was unsustainable and
suggested decentralisation and removing operation and maintenance responsibilities from
the Ministry. To improve falling performance and efficiency and to reduce the financial
burden of the water sector, in June 1988 the National Water Conservation and Pipeline
Corporation (NWCPC) was established. Its role was to operate water supply systems under
state control on a commercial basis. But even this proved insufficient to revitalise the stifling
water sector and in 1992 a Second National Water Master Plan was formulated, based on a
demand driven approach. The need for a carefully designed, long term water policy was also
expressed and its drafting begun soon afterwards. Moreover, it was recognised that
stronger incentives and better management were needed in the water sector. To obtain
this, there were attempts to introduce a commercial approach to service provision. In 1996
the Ministry of Local Government, through the Companies Act Cap. 486, established publicly
owned water and sanitation companies where operation and management were privately
run. By 2002 this scheme had only worked in Nyeri and Eldoret, whereas the companies in
Kitale and Nakuru had been taken over by the government again due to financial
problems.[32] In 1999, the first National Policy of Water Resources Management and
Development was published. The policy stated that the government would hand over urban
water systems to autonomous departments within local authorities, and rural water supply
to communities. Another provision of this document was placing water and sanitation
services under single utilities. While developing the National Water Policy, the Government
also established a National Task Force to review the Water Act, Cap 372, and draft
amendments that would result in a complete overhaul of the sector.[21]
3.1.
Reorganisation of water institutions (2002–present).
The current legal framework for the Kenyan water and sanitation sector is based on the
Water Act Nr. 8 of 2002 which became effective in March 2003.[33] The 2002 Water Act
introduced far reaching reforms based on the following principles:
9




the separation of the management of water resources from the provision of water
services;
the separation of policy making from day to day administration and regulation;
decentralization of functions to lower level state organs;
the involvement of non-government entities in the management of water resources
and in the provision of water services.
The implementation of these principles triggered a wide-ranging restructuring of the sector
and lead to the creation of new institutions. The Water Sector Reform Secretariat (WSRS)
was formed as a transitional unit in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to oversee the
formation of the new water sector institutions. In 2004, the Water Services Trust Fund
(WSTF) was established to provide financial assistance towards capital investment costs in
areas lacking adequate services (usually inhabited by the poor). A Transfer Plan was devised
in 2005 (through Legal Notice No. 101 of the 12th August, 2005) to direct the transfer of
staff and assets from the central government to the newly founded Water Services Boards
and Water Service Providers (for detailed role descriptions see the next paragraph).[34]
To guide the implementation of the Water Act, a draft National Water Services Strategy
(NWSS) for the years 2007-2015 was formulated in June 2007. Its mission is to "realise the
goals of the MDG declaration and the Vision 2030 of the Kenyan Government concerning
access to safe and affordable water and basic sanitation by responsive institutions within a
regime of well defined standards and regulation." NWSS is based on the identification of
sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation as a human right and an economic
good. Among the core commitments are: cost recovery by water service providers to ensure
sustainable water and sanitation for all and the formalisation of service provision. [11][35] In
addition, MWI also elaborated pro-poor implementation plans.[7]
Policy formulation and sector coordination
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) is the key institution responsible for the water
sector in Kenya. The Ministry is divided into five departments: Administration and Support
Services, Water Services, Water Resources Management, Irrigation, Drainage and Water
Storage, and Land Reclamation. Water supply is overseen by the Department for Water
Services, whose functions include: formulation of policy and strategies for water and
sewerage services, sector co-ordination and monitoring of other water services institutions.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is also in charge of overall sector investments, planning
and resource mobilisation.[36] Sanitation policy is in the hands of the Ministry of Public
Health and Sanitation (MoPHS).[37] To harmonise the institutional framework for sanitation
MWI and the MoPHS have developed a common Water Supply and Sanitation Concept with
clearly defined sanitation targets.
Other ministries play a role in the water and sanitation sector. The Ministry of Education cooperates with MWI and MoPHS in the area of school sanitation by participating in Water
and Sanitation Programme Committees. The Agricultural Sector Coordination Unit
deliberates on all issues related to agriculture, including irrigation which is overseen by
MWI. The MWI also co-operates with the Ministries of Forestry, of the Environment and of
Special Programmes to further the rehabilitation and maintenance of water towers. [38]
10
4. Role of CLTS
5. Role of SLTS
11
Annex 1: Reference review
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/country/kenya
Kamau, N. (2009). ‘Healthy places, healthy people : community-led total sanitation at work’.
In: Health exchange, 18 June 2009
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/healthy-places-healthy-people or
http://healthexchangenews.com/2009/06/18/healthy-places-healthy-people/
Kar, K. (2008). Hands-on training workshop on Community Led Total Sanitation, Mombassa
(7th- 11th July-2008). Nairobi, Kenya, Plan Kenya and UNICEF (Draft)
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/hands-training-workshop-mombasa
Marita, F. And Musyoki, S. (2008). Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) leveraging on
World Toilet Day celebrations in Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya, Plan Kenya
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/world-toilet-day-2008-celebrationskenya
Musyoki, S. (2010). Piloting CLTS in an urban setting: diary of progress in Mathare 10,
Nairobi Kenya
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/piloting-clts-urban-setting-diaryprogress-mathare-10-nairobi-kenya
Otieno, P.V. (2010?). Case study of Rambusi community : from damp matchbox and
dependency to ODF and ownership. Nairobi, Kenya, Plan International
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/case-study-rambusi-communitydamp-matchbox-and-dependency-odf-and-ownership
Otieno, P.V. (2010). CLTS roars as 8 villages become ODF in Homa Bay.
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/clts-roars-eight-villages-becomeodf-homabay
Otieno, P.V. (2010). Against the odds: how Manera became the first ODF village in Homa
Bay http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/how-manera-became-first-odfvillage-homa-bay
Otieno, P.V. (2010). Kochogo ODF celebrations
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/kochogo-odf-celebrations
Otieno, P.V. (2010). Latest news: In Homa Bay, the shit fire is burning brighter and hotter
after ODF celebration
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/latest-news-homa-bay-shit-fireburning-brighter-and-hotter-after-odf-celebration
12
Otieno, P.V. (2010). Verification of ODF status
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/verification-odf-status-kenya
Otieno, P.V. (2010). Wearing the message, loud and proud- how Manera’s CLTS campaign
has inspired and confronted other villages to tackle their shit
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/wearing-message-loud-and-proudhow-manera-s-clts-campaign-has-inspired-and-confronted-other
Plan Kenya (2008). ODF verification mission Siriwo and Malunga east sub-locations, Siaya.
Nairobi, Kenya, Plan Kenya.
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/odf-verification-mission-siaya
Plan Kenya (2009). The shit fire burns on in Kenya.
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/sht-fire-burns-kenya
Thieme, T. (2010). Impressions from Homa Bay visit (June 24-25, 2010)
http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/resource/impressions-homa-bay-visit
13
Annex 2: Case studies
14