Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Plan for Malindi and Watamu Towns
Summary Blog
Transforming Malindi-Watamu into a clean city by 2040
The urgent need for improved sanitation
Malindi and Watamu, both towns off Kenya’s coast, are known for their beautiful white sandy beaches and vibrant communities, making them much sought-after tourist destinations. However, the charming coast is growing at a rate of 3.4% each year, and the current level of service provision is unable to serve the growing population’s sanitation needs. The city’s population of over 300,000 residents currently has no sewer lines and no waste treatment options, resulting in less than 25% of human waste being safely managed. The existing Wastewater Master Plan only addresses 35% of the population, leaving the majority of the city without a plan for sanitation services. The lack of proper sanitation services leads to contaminated water sources and loss of income and livelihoods, affecting public health and the economy. In addition, in Malindi, the County Executive Chairman Hon. Mwachitu Kiringi notes “Environmental tourism is a driving force of Malindi’s economy and we cannot risk having waste be unsafely managed and polluting our environment.” The Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.2 calls for providing equitable and adequate sanitation services to all, and safely managing sanitation across the service chain. In order to achieve these targets, we need to shift the focus from building infrastructure to service provision, ensuring that the sanitation needs of the local community are met.
Multi-stakeholder approach to solving the problem
Recognizing the challenge of providing safe sanitation to the rapidly expanding cities, Malindi Water and Sanitation Company (MAWASCO), in collaboration with the Kilifi County Government and other stakeholders, came together in September 2019 to undertake a city-wide sanitation planning exercise. This plan would address the current sanitation challenges and recommend cohesive strategies aligned with the city’s and county’s development plans. The stakeholders joined forces and applied the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach, which aims to ensure everyone within Malindi Municipality has access to safely managed sanitation by promoting a range of solutions - both onsite and sewered, centralized or decentralized - tailored to the realities of the world’s burgeoning cities. This multi-stakeholder effort led to a comprehensive Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Plan for Malindi, Watamu, and the surrounding peri-urban areas.
MAWASCO led the participatory planning process by forming a steering committee with representatives from the Kilifi County Government, MAWASCO, and local community-based organizations. The planning process and its activities were guided and supported by agencies such as Sanivation, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), Eawag, and BORDA, who provided expertise in urban sanitation planning. The CWIS Plan was financed through a combination of blended financing from MAWASCO, WSUP and Sanivation, and support from the County Government.
Committee members during the inception workshop
Achieving safely managed sanitation for all through innovative approaches
The CWIS Plan focuses on three overarching goals:
(i) achieve equitable and financially sustainable access to safely managed sanitation for all;
(ii) ensure clarity in mandates for sanitation service provision and help to market Malindi as the cleanest coastal town;
(iii) create jobs and build local capacities to establish a thriving sanitation economy.
The CWIS Plan has been successful in charting out US$95 million of sanitation investments and US$25 million of municipal solid waste investments, to have >80% of waste safely managed by 2040. The CWIS Plan also estimates the creation of 700 jobs and encourages capacity-building activities, development of standard operating procedures, and formalizing contracting mechanisms for the various components of the FSM service chain. For each solution, the broad estimates of revenue and costs for each stakeholder have been evaluated and integrated into the business model with possible short-, medium-, and long-term financing options. The CWIS Plan, which is aligned with the local Malindi Wastewater Master Plan, and national-level policies including Kenya Vision 2030, provides a clear institutional framework.
Institutional framework for city-wide inclusive sanitation in Malindi and Watamu
Sanitation mandate ownership and traction
During the launch of the CWIS Plan, MAWASCO’s Managing Director, Mr. Gerald Mwambire noted “Fecal Sludge Management is our mandate” fully embracing sanitation, both onsite and sewers. Additionally, beyond ownership, the county government has also allocated a budget for sanitation activities, letting the money follow good plans. The institution is now looking at the sanitation planning process holistically and from the point of safe service provision. The launch events and multi-stakeholder partnerships have also garnered national and local media attention causing a domino effect on neighboring utilities being interested in how to develop their own CWIS plan.
City-wide sanitation approach to reach all residents with a multitude of approaches
The vision and commitment for a clean and thriving Malindi
Malindi and Watamu have demonstrated that it is possible to bring together all actors to plan for and solve an important development and health issue for the city. MAWASCO has demonstrated how public and private sector providers can collaborate effectively right from the planning process, helping deliver safe sanitation services to all. Through these efforts, the new vision transforms the current inadequate sanitation situation in Malindi into a safe, well-managed clean city in 2040.
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