31 July 2014: The African Water Facility (AWF) will support a project to provide sanitation services in Kenya while creating business opportunities through sales of sanitation by-products, such as biogas, energy and fertilizers.

Currently, 90% of the residents in Manyatta, Kenya, use poorly maintained and unsanitary pit latrines, which contribute to cholera and other water-borne diseases, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB). The project aims to raise awareness on the importance of sanitation through community campaigns and to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases.

The project will improve household sanitation by providing micro-financing to Manyatta residents to buy household toilets. At least 55% of the micro-loans will be given to women.

The project will then collect fecal sludge and transform it into biogas, energy and fertilizer products that will be marketed to farmers and families. It is expected that the fertilizer will be used to fertilize soil for local agriculture.

Akissa Bahri, Coordinator of the AWF, explained AWF’s hope that the project “will show how effective, safe and sustainable sanitation services can be provided in areas that do not have sewage infrastructure and promote the idea that waste can be reusable and income-generating.”

AWF will provide the Kisumu Water and Sewage Company (KIWASCO) with €1.2 million to facilitate the private venture. The project is expected to benefit 48,000 people in Kisumu, with the potential to expand to an additional 240,000 residents. [AfDB Press Release] [AWF Press Release] [Project Appraisal Report]