How small social enterprises tackle drought challenges in East Africa
This past February, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta officially declared the drought in his country a national disaster. No rain had fallen for months in East Africa, causing a dire living situation. Photo: Caroline Weimann / Siemens Stiftung
Submitted By: Caroline Weimann
Tribes migrated to find water and food, and we saw an increase in the amount and severity of conflicts, specifically between herders and owners of large farms.
In the cities, the situation is not much better. Nairobi’ s main water supply is a dam which is currently only 20 % full. The Nairobi Water Company is rationing water, and many people only have running water once a week.
Agriculture is suffering; the price of milk has risen from 40 to 65 Kenyan Shillings( KES) for half a liter in just six months. Maize meal, a staple food, has gone up nearly 40 %, with the state recently announcing a subsidy for maize.
The drought affects all the communities we work with under the Safe Water Enterprise project, which stretches across large parts of the country. In many regions where surface water is available it is contaminated. To offset some of the catastrophic effects of the drought, communities have set up safe water kiosks in Kenya and Uganda. Water kiosks are equipped with a SkyHydrant
filtration unit that removes turbidity, bacteria, and viruses from the water. The kiosk is run by a local committee, trained to operate as a social enterprise for the benefit of the community. An operator runs the kiosk, maintains the technology, and works with the management team to ensure sustainability.
Of course, kiosk operations are affected when water availability changes, and most water sources depend on rainfall. Those using water from dams and rivers struggle when the levels drop significantly, making the water more turbid. The concentration of bacteria also increases. We’ ve had to install pre-filters in some of the kiosks to deal with increased sludge.
Other communities have seen their water completely depleted. One of our most recent kiosks, in Howa Mwana in Kwale County, is using water from a dam. We never thought this dam would dry out, and over the past year, it was the last dam in the entire region still holding water. But after 9 months without rain and a growing demand from the surrounding communities, the dam eventually
26 Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • July- August 2017