Transformative water and sanitation project brings lasting benefits to Siaya County, Kenya 

Dorcas Kenya has successfully completed the Siaya Water and Sanitation Project, enhancing sustainable access to clean drinking water and improving sanitation facilities in Siaya County. The project is funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency in partnership with the County Government of Siaya, Maji Milele, and North Gem. The initiative focused on the rural population, which constitutes 89% of the county’s residents, of whom only 36% had access to clean water before the project. 

Through the rehabilitation and augmentation of four water schemes, we have significantly improved water access, reaching 115,358 people with clean drinking water, 91,295 of whom regularly use the water facilities. Households with individual connections now consume an average of 30 litres per day, translating to 5 litres per person, while those relying on communal water points consume 16 litres per day, or 2.7 litres per person. Individual connections significantly enhance daily water availability and contribute to improved health and hygiene compared to communal water points. 

In terms of sanitation, the project has made notable progress. Before the project, only 49% of the population had access to improved sanitation facilities, with 20% practising open defecation and 31% using unimproved toilet facilities. Now, 92,727 people have access to improved sanitation facilities. Our efforts also focused on sanitation marketing, helping the community improve their sanitation practices following the declaration of Siaya County as open defecation free (ODF). 

Training and employment have been key components of this project. We trained 166 change agents who reached 64,395 people with awareness programmes. Women now make up 36.7% of the leadership within the Schemes Supervisory Boards. Out of 225 direct jobs created, 119 were filled by women, and 38 out of 68 entrepreneurs engaged in WASH-related products are women. 

Support for highly marginalised groups has been a priority, with 1,967 individuals receiving 60 litres of water per household per day free of charge and 504 households provided with improved sanitation facilities. 

This project represents a significant advance towards achieving SDG 6 and ensuring that everyone has access to clean water and proper sanitation. Our End Time Evaluation (ETE) suggests that we should increase facilities, such as equipment for moulding and shaping materials, which artisans use to create or repair items and adopt a market-based approach to improve sanitation. We are dedicated to building on these achievements to ensure long-lasting benefits for the community. 

06 August 2024