×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Home To Bold Columnists
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

In some neighborhoods in drought-prone Kenya, clean water is scarce

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

A lady carries water on her back after drawing it from a water point in Athi River, Machakos County. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

As the sun rises in the Bondeni-Jua Kali neighborhood on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi, dozens of women and men step out of their corrugated iron homes with yellow jerricans, skip over pools of sewage and make their way to a nearby water vending station.

There is no piped water or sewage system in the area and drought has made clean water supplies scarcer and expensive for locals. Twice a week, trucks with 5,000 to 10,000 liters (1,300 to 2,600 gallons) of water will fill up vending stations across Athi River where residents can buy 20 liters (five gallons) for 20 Kenyan Shillings ($0.16). A household of four needs about 20 liters a day, and weekly incomes are about $13, according to data from Kenya's finance ministry.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Uncover the stories others won't tell. Subscribe now for exclusive access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
By AFP 3 hrs ago
Sports
Ronaldo, 41, leads Portugal into his sixth World Cup
Sports
Kenya's Afcon dream is under threat as FKF officials fight
Sports
Kenyans now shift focus to Commonwealth Games after shining at Africa meet in Accra
Sports
New motorsports body up and running with autocross action at Stoni Athi