Citizens' report card on urban water, sanitation and solid waste services in Kenya : summary of results from Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa

The Citizen Report Card (CRC) is a simple but powerful tool to provide public agencies with systematic feedback from users of public services, and enable them to identify strengths and weaknesses in their work. CRCs are compiled from data collected during a randomized sample survey of the users of public services - in this case, water, sanitation and solid waste management services. The responses are aggregated in order to rate the services. Just like the report cards used to rate students in school, the Citizen Report Cards give consumers an opportunity to "score" the quality and adequacy of water and sanitation services, and express their satisfaction with them. They thus allow the concerns of consumers to come to the attention of decision-makers, and give consumers and civil society organisations a tool for bringing pressure to bear for their resolution.

Monitoring and evaluation tools, like the CRC, are most useful when performed at intervals and when stakeholders know where the sector is aiming. This helps track progress that is focused with clear milestones. As one could expect in a complex sector, the findings in this research are both positive and negative. The goals of the water reforms are clear - an institutional framework that ensures access to clean, affordable water and improved services. However, there is a clear policy gap in the sanitation and solid waste sectors. The findings of the CRC provide a clearer understanding of how these gaps affect people in their day-to-day-lives.