Unique toilet boosts sanitation and tackle poverty in city slums

Peninah Atieno Ongondo, a devoted mother and long-time resident of Shauri Moyo estate in Nairobi, vividly remembers the challenges her community faced with sanitation as Nairobi City Council (now Nairobi County) public toilets degenerated into breeding grounds for diseases.

“We used to have public toilets built by the City Council, but they were not maintained,” she recalls, her voice tinged with the memories of unhygienic conditions and constant worry for her family’s health.

In the densely populated neighbourhoods of Nairobi slums, where basic amenities are often scarce, sanitation has long been a pressing issue.

For Peninah and her neighbours, the struggle was not just about convenience, but about health and dignity. The unreliable maintenance of the communal facilities meant that clean and accessible toilets were a luxury rather than a norm.

“When you have children, sanitation is not just about comfort; it’s about their health,” Peninah explains, reflecting on the days when inadequate facilities posed serious health risks to her family and community. Lack of proper waste management led to contamination of nearby water sources, exacerbating the prevalence of waterborne diseases, with children being the most vulnerable.

Shauri Moyo estate has long struggled with inadequate sanitation, a harsh reality for its residents who often had to resort to ‘flying toilets.’ These are plastic bags used for defecation and often discarded in the open, leading to contamination of the environment.

However, in recent years, a transformative change has swept through the informal settlements, bringing with it hope and improved living conditions. This change came in the form of Fresh Life Toilets, a pioneering initiative that introduced container-based sanitation systems to replace the ailing public facilities.

The Fresh Life Toilets, equipped with handwashing facilities and a system that separates urine and faecal waste to prevent odour and diseases, have become a beacon of hope for residents, who no longer have to endure the indignity of unsavoury conditions occasioned by poor waste management. 

As a landlady and a mother of three, Peninah has seen first-hand how these toilets have transformed her community. The project has also made her a social entrepreneur, having invested in the technology.

Peninah runs the Fresh Life Toilet herself, serving over 20 tenants and charging a monthly fee of Sh200 per house, with an additional Sh10 for passers-by. This fee, is higher than the former City Council’s rates of Sh50 per house.

 “We used to pay Sh50, and that was back then. So we can’t say that we can compare now and then,” she points out.

Esther Muniwa, a resident of Mukuru Kwa Reuben, echoes Peninah’s sentiments about the impact of Fresh Life Toilets. “When you use Fresh Life toilets, you can’t get infections easily,” Esther emphasises, highlighting the improved health outcomes for her family and neighbours. The toilets’ cleanliness and accessibility, even during the rainy season, have made them a preferred choice over the traditional, often flooded communal facilities.

In the informal settlements, poor sanitation practices like flying toilets and power-flash have left communities vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Women, in particular, face significant health risks due to inadequate hygiene, often leading to Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and other complications. Lack of privacy and hygiene further compromises their health and dignity in the quest for basic sanitation needs.

Beyond their immediate benefits, Fresh Life Toilets also contribute to environmental sustainability and economic empowerment.

Anthony Mulinge, Managing Director of Fresh Life Toilets, explains their holistic approach: “We provide container-based sanitation to areas where traditional sewer systems are impractical or too costly.”

These toilets, equipped with handwashing systems and buckets for inorganic waste (such as sanitary towels and baby diapers), separate urine and stool into different containers. This design prevents the mixing of waste, eliminating odours.

“When you visit informal settlements, you will notice that those people do not have toilets, and that is why we had the initial challenge of flying toilets. Providing sewers in those areas is expensive, and because it is an informal settlement, there is no master plan,” Mulinge says. 

“The toilet is basically a pit latrine not connected to the sewer but has two containers. It is referred to as a urine-diverting toilet. We collect the urine and faecal waste in different containers and empty them every one to two days,” he adds.

This enables people who would never have had access to sanitation to maintain their dignity and also helps address sicknesses and other issues related to poor sanitation.

Mulinge explains that, besides providing the non-sewered toilets, they also have locations called ‘dump-fresh’ where those with pit latrines can safely dispose of waste instead of releasing it into the environment.

“As much as we have all these big latrines and all the waste, it finds itself in the environment, in the water. So we decided in all these areas we organize the manual pit emptiers into almost community-based organizations,” Mulinge says adding that pit emptiers are trained on how to run the business and how to dispose of waste safely.

The organisation operates in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Mombasa, providing over 7,000 toilets. In Nairobi, it serves up to 34 people each and charges Sh850 monthly, which helps cover operational costs and employs over 400 people in informal settlements. They serve approximately 280,000 people daily.

“What that does is to enable us to cover some of our costs because we employ local youth, as well as letting people appreciate what it is that we are doing. It does not cover the cost of the toilet.”

Maintaining cleanliness is a top priority for Peninah and Esther, who personally oversee the cleanliness of the toilets. This proactive approach ensures that the facility remains in top condition.

The Fresh Life Toilet system also addresses issues of waste management effectively. Peninah explains, “For the City Councils, they are sewered, but for Fresh Life, it’s non-severed and the emptiers collect waste daily.” This regular collection prevents a build-up of waste.

Despite the benefits, there are areas for improvement. Esther suggests that Fresh Life could resume providing cleaning supplies like soap, disinfectants and gloves, which were initially supplied but have since been discontinued,” she says.

On the other hand, many users are unaware of where their waste goes after collection, leading to mixed reactions. Some are concerned, while others are not. Additionally, a few users are hesitant to use the toilets due to the sawdust cleaning method instead of water.

The waste collected is processed by Regen Organics into useful products like insect protein, oil, and organic fertiliser. Clifford Odhiambo from Regen Organics says they create value from the waste collected from the community by Fresh Life as well as organic waste from hotels or households.

For Peninah and Esther, and informal settlements residents, this signifies a brighter future where health, dignity and community well-being are prioritised.