Recomendaciones

5.3.1 Role of the government

Currently the water supplied in Huruma comes from the Nairobi Water Company. Even though the north eastern branch of the offices of the Nairobi Water Company is located in

26%

39% 35%

Impacts of inadequate water supply and

sanitation

Unsustainable livelihoods

prevalence of disease outbreaks

overexploitation by private service providers

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Kariobangi North just few kilometers from Huruma Estate, the water supply levels in this estate is wanting. There are no adequate piped systems to ensure sufficient supply. Similarly the sanitation and sewer system for domestic waste water management are absent thus the degenerated waste water management methods.

The solid waste management systems in the area are also absent as domestic solid waste is mostly seen by the road sides. Even though the City Council collects tax and duties from the small scale traders in this area their services in the solid waste management and collection has always been wanting. Occasionally after several complaints from the public they will collect the waste and take to the Dandora dumpsite that is just afew kilometers from the estate.

Only 32% of the people interviewed were satisfied by the functions of the government. 52% respondents felt that the government has neglected their plight when it comes to water and sanitation while the rest 16% feel the government is not necessarily important in the provision of water services and is a subject of self-reliance.

Figure 5.6: Level of satisfaction with Government roles (Source: Field Data, 2014)

Satisfied 32% Disatisfied 52% Self reliance 16%

Level of Satisfaction with Government

Roles

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5.3.2 Role of the community members

Most of the residents are financially crippled to venture to the water and sanitation services provision. The few water vendors who offer their services in the times of rationing and inadequacies have often drawn the water they sell from questionable sources. This is risky and exposes the residents to diseases. The residents complained that some unscrupulous vendors would take advantage of how desperate they are in times of water shortages and sell them water of questionable qualities. This has often resulted into disease outbreaks.

In the solid waste management sector the communities members are doing very little to ensure proper management of the waste. They haphazardly throw away their domestic solid waste in any open space available. This also poses a risk for various vector borne diseases. However some youth groups have ventured into weekly collection of the solid refuse from the households. This service is charged at Kshs 100 per month. The waste collected is then transported to the Dandora dumpsite via hard carts. This is also an avenue where the government should venture into and support the youth in the management of the solid waste.

5.3.3 Role of NGOs

Several NGOs have ventured into the water and sanitation services provision in the Estate. But the one that stands out for impacting positive according to this study is the Umande Trust. Umande Trust is a Kibera based organization that deals with civil society advocacy; solid waste management; water and sanitation for the urban; and integrated urban environmental planning. In the different slums as they showed in the interview schedule, they have developed more than sixty bio centres in a view to curb the problems of solid waste as well as ensure adequate water supply to the residents of the slums. In Huruma Estate they have put up some bio centres into some of the villages and handed over to youth groups and women groups to manage and run. The services of the facilities are water selling, offering shower services, toilets, and in return generate bio- gas which is burned for local use in the facility.All the respondents in the area acknowledged the roles played by Umande Trust in the provision of water and sanitation services in the area.

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Name of the village Name of the bio centre

Kasonovo Kasonovo bio centre

Kibichoi Uwezo Mpya bio centre

Kitasuru Wonderful Brothers water kiosk

Table 5.1: Umande Trust established Bio Centres (Source: Field Data, 2014)

Taking into account that this is an NGO, it then goes without saying that the quality of the water and sanitation services can be greatly improved with adequate government funding and involvement. The fact that this nascent organization has gone into some villages shows the potential how much the NGO’s can excel in areas where the government have neglected for many years. However it is also challenged with the inadequacies in the funds for improving the services offered.

Plate 5.6:Part of a treatment plant in Kasonovo Bio centre (Source: Field Data, 2014)

The other water and sanitation service providers are the vendors, and taps within the household. Few people interviewed in the research acknowledged the harnessing of

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rainwater for domestic use. This can be attributed to the fact that most of the housing structures in the setting do not have adequate rainwater harnessing facilities.

The water in these kiosks is sold at 10 shillings for a twenty litre jerican. This price is uniform across the area. During the water rationing period, the people of Huruma resort to getting water from the vendors. This is because the bio-centres are often the most affected during the rationing period since they get their water mainly from the Nairobi water and sewerage company.

Plate 5.7: Water kiosk managed by a private group in the estate (Source: Field Data, 2014)

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CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS.