Most households in Kenya are still far from getting access to sanitation facilities that meet reasonable standards as enshrined in Article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

More than a decade since the enactment of the constitution and Vision  2030, the social-economic blueprint envisaged would catalyze development of sewerage networks, a lot still needs to be done.

A 2022 WASREB Impact Report, puts Kenya’s sewer network coverage at a paltry 16 percent, a far cry from the 80 percent target set in 2008, when the Kenya Vision 2030 was unveiled.

The overwhelming majority of our population currently rely on onsite sanitation such as septic tanks and pit latrines.

The dire consequences of this reality are visibly seen from the sorry state of Kenyan rivers, particularly the Nairobi, Mathare and Ngong Rivers.

Originally intended by mother nature to nourish arid areas downstream as they meander through several counties while en route to the Indian Ocean, these rivers are now choked with foul-smelling sewage and industrial waste including harmful chemicals and plastics, plaguing the country with perennial waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid.

A 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) bulletin titled; Reaching Vulnerable Populations in Kenya’s Cholera Outbreak, shows the country recorded over 7,800 cases of cholera and 122 preventable deaths since October 2022.

This translates to about 780 cases and 12 preventable deaths every month to signify the sanitation crisis facing the country and its ripple effects on healthcare.

The slow growth in sewerage network could imply low investments towards this infrastructure or the population is growing faster than development of these networks.

With Kenya’s population rapidly growing from 37.7 million recorded in the 2009 census to 47.6 million in 2019, existing sewer infrastructure gets overburdened by the day.

This situation is bound to be exacerbated by the government’s Affordable Housing Programme.

Amidst this urgency, concerted efforts are required from all sectors – private, public and academic – to achieve countrywide standard sanitation by 2030.

Within the private sector space, Davis & Shirtliff has been playing the role of a pragmatic contributor to Kenya’s pursuit of safely managed sanitation, with the company offering alternative wastewater treatment solutions that employ modern technologies, ranging from basic to advanced technologies.

These solutions are sustainable, cost-efficient, scalable, and tailored to specific customer needs.

The aim has been to showcase there are local solutions to bolstering our sanitation standards and constantly reminding all stakeholders that Kenya can achieve its ambitious goals if stakeholders could pose and have a closer look at local solutions.

Unlike the old sewage treatment solutions and conventional septic tanks or onsite sanitation facilities, the modern units incorporate  treatment of sludge, to ensure treated effluent is safe for discharge into storm drains or for reuse in irrigation, toilet flushing and general cleaning purposes.

Moreover, treating and stabilizing the sludge eliminates the need for exhauster services, popularly known as honey suckers, which remains a significant challenge faced by property owners with septic tanks and pit latrines.

A comprehensive range of wastewater treatment plants that employ cutting-edge technologies such as the Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR), Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) and Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) are also now in the market.

These highly efficient treatment systems significantly reduce pollutants and contaminants in wastewater to stringent NEMA discharge standards. 

For example, the MBBR system comprises of plastic carriers that host bacteria for digestion of organic matter or the pollutant load in wastewater.

As the name suggests, the plastic carriers are in constant motion within a chamber, ensuring bacteria digests the load uniformly.

Furthermore, these treatment plants are designed to occupy minimal space, with options for underground, above-ground, containerised installations and mobile treatment plants.

Even better, the treated effluent, once disinfected, can be repurposed for irrigation of crop fields or recreational spaces such as golf courses, sports fields and lawns.

As Kenya races towards the final stretches of Vision 2030, the pressing need for practical and sustainable wastewater solutions becomes increasingly urgent.

In this sprint, we stand at the forefront of this endeavor, committed to offering vanguard wastewater treatment solutions that align with the country’s development objectives.

It is however important to note that the collective responsibility of safeguarding our terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the well-being of the diverse life they support, rests upon every individual.