Impact assessment report on the PeePoo bag, Silanga village, Kibera, Nairobi-Kenya

This study report is intended to be an informational tool that help project designers understand better the problems encountered in improving sanitation in Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Kenya and provide sustainable solutions. It is not meant to be a technical design manual, nor is it a comprehensive reference document on existing technologies.

The primary objective of this study is to find out if the Peepoo bag meets the objectives, expectations and perceptions of beneficiaries/end users in meeting their sanitation needs and demands, and if the product is designed in such a way that it not only biodegradable but economically viable in terms of generating organic manure for sale.

There were many women interviewed during this study and thus showing the overall high number of women to men who participated in the use of the Peepoo bag. This ratio indicates that the peepoo bag would greatly assist women and children’s sanitation in Silanga Village, Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.

About 40% of the respondents live on less than a dollar a day as indicated by the monthly income distribution while the high monthly rent further explains the high poverty levels thus exerting pressure on the already strained sanitation services. At least 90% of the users of the Peepoo bag strongly recommended it as the absolute sanitation solution within Kibera and the same percentage also felt that the Peepoo bag is safe and clean to handle. More than 80% of the respondents were of the opinion that the Peepoo bag be sold for less than Ksh.5 (USD 0.0625) to make it affordable to the majority of the slum dwellers.

There was a significant need for Peepoo bag usage in Silanga Village because more than 50% of the respondents admitted that they throw their waste using the flying toilet approach. On the distribution of the Peepoo bag, the majority of the respondents were of the opinion that group leaders, community based organizers, church leaders, youth and village elders be used in coordinating the distribution process.

The size of the Peepoo bag ellicited concern among the respondents. Over 60% suggested a bigger bag to fit both urine and feaces at the same time. The use of the Peepoo bag would save valued time that is otherwise spent queing to access toilet facilities. It was noted that the fertilizer benefit seemed most valuable for the majority of respondents because of the implied financial benefits that such a venture would bring to the community.

The Kibera Slum areas present unique challenges to sanitation improvement. Most challenging are the characteristics that set these areas apart from the urban and rural sectors: poor site conditions, unreliable water availability, high population density, the heterogeneous nature of the population, and the lack of legal land tenure.

These characteristics are much more complex than those typifying rural and formal urban areas.

The standard technical and social solutions for low-cost sanitation currently used in rural communities are not necessarily appropriate for improving community sanitation in slum areas. Conventionally, most community sanitation problem assessments and project design efforts focus primarily on the technical feasibility of the various technical options. Experience to date suggests that these technology-driven projects often fail to meet their objectives.

This report suggests that the complexities of peri-urban settlements require that a more comprehensive interdisciplinary approach be used to understand the problem before attempting to design a project that will address peri-urban community sanitation needs. This report reviews the key public health, environmental, social, financial, economic, legal, and institutional issues that many of these settlements face which must be understood before developing a program designed to improve a peri-urban community sanitation service.

To address these problems, the project designer must deal not only with engineers but also with legal experts, financial analysts, social scientists, urban planners, and a wide range of institutions, such as the water and sanitation utility, the Ministry of Health, urban development authorities and the municipalities.

[Abstract taken from the executive summary of the report]