Low-Income Consumers Department for Enhanced Access
Summary
The Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (Mowassco), with support from the NGO Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), established a low-income consumers department in 2014 to increase water and sanitation service access for the city's urban poor.
Mombasa, Kenya, has a limited water supply and sources most of its water from outside its county borders. Water demand is much greater than supply: the city only has resources to meet approximately 20% of its demand. As a result, Mowassco, the city's water utility, has historically prioritized providing the majority of this water to a few high-paying consumers, such as industrial users and hotels (Oyamo, 2020).
High-spending users have been prioritized for service provision historically, while nearly 60% of Mombasa's residents live in slums and informal settlements. Rationing in informal settlements is common due to the city's limited resources, which effectively leaves most of Mombasa's residents with infrequent, irregular, and insufficient access to a potable water supply.
Although access to clean and safe water and sanitation services is defined as a constitutional right of all Kenyans, many of Mombasa's residents lack access to clean and safe water services (Wekesa, 2013). Due to limited water network coverage and an inability to pay for one-off connection fees, inhabitants of informal settlements typically lack access to clean running water at home. They must queue for hours at communal taps (known as water kiosks) for water of questionable quality (WSUP, 2017). Securing water from water kiosks is time-consuming, physically strenuous, and expensive; residents typically queue for two to three hours, haul water back to their homes in jerry cans, and pay approximately 45 USD per month for untreated, salty water (WSUP, 2017). This burden generally falls to women and girl children. Typically, the poorest members of Mombasan society pay ten times more for water than the city's richest inhabitants (Oyamo, 2020).
Intervention
Recognizing the need to enhance safe and convenient access to clean and affordable water for the majority of Mombasa's population, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), an international NGO, partnered with Mowassco in 2013 to tailor a solution for water provision to Mombasa's poorest citizens through the utility. As a first step, WSUP performed an institutional capacity assessment of Mowassco, during which they found that the utility needed to improve on social aspects and, to some degree, certain commercial aspects of water provision (Oyamo, 2020). WSUP recognized the need to enhance these capacities within the utility while simultaneously convincing Mowassco of the importance of addressing low-income consumers' needs through a specialized approach. First, WSUP focused on easing relations between civil society and Mowassco by improving communication and understanding between the two groups to improve coverage in those areas (WSUP, 2017; Oyamo, 2020). Many of the myths surrounding water provision to informal settlements centered around incorrect, preconceived notions that inhabitants of informal settlements were irresponsible, likely to move elsewhere or simply disappear, and that they would be unwilling to pay for water service and coverage (Oyamo, 2020).
WSUP evidenced that not only are residents of informal settlements willing to pay for water and coverage but that they regularly pay far more for water from water kiosks than they would for formal service (Oyamo, 2020). Furthermore, WSUP argued that increasing coverage in informal settlements would increase Mowassco's customer base, thereby increasing revenue for the utility from a commercial standpoint. Finally, WSUP's assessment found that because residents of informal settlements would not be compelled to make illegal connections to the system or vandalize the pipeline if they received formal service, the utility would save significant money from non-revenue water and water losses (Oyamo, 2020).
Once WSUP convinced Mowassco of the need to provide formal service in informal settlements, the Low-Income Consumers (LIC) Department was created as a standalone department within Mowassco. LIC's primary objective is to handle the social aspects of water provision beyond simple engineering activities. The Department focuses on several activities, including the extension of network coverage in informal settlements, stakeholder engagement, and water provision to individual households in informal settlements (Oyamo, 2020).
In its early stages, Mowassco's LIC Department needed to gain acceptance for formal water connections in households from relevant stakeholders, including the settlements' inhabitants and their landlords. Naturally, residents were quite eager to obtain formal service as the water provided is of better quality and cheaper than the water they would otherwise retrieve from the kiosks (Oyamo, 2020). However, as most of these residents lack titles to the homes and buildings they inhabit, the LIC Department had to convince the landlords that installing water meters on their properties would benefit them. Mowassco's LIC Department, in conjunction with WSUP, was able to convince landlords that the installation of water meters would raise the value of their rental properties, as more people would be willing to move into and remain in homes with formal water connections. Once the initial connection fee was paid, landlords would bill their tenants for monthly water usage (Oyamo, 2020).
Challenges
Although the utility improved access to water for Mombasa's many residents in informal settlements, there were some tensions between entrepreneurs who ran privately managed boreholes and the utility: the entrepreneurs felt that the formal service provision threatened their livelihoods. Since the initiation of the LIC Department and Mowassco's efforts to extend coverage to informal settlements, attacks on water meter readers and Mowassco staff by the entrepreneurs were reported. At Mowassco's request, WSUP eased tensions between these two groups, brokering a good working relationship that continues to improve (WSUP, 2017).
Outcomes
Since its launch in 2013, Mowassco's LIC has successfully improved coverage in informal settlements throughout Mombasa. The Department's pro-poor strategic plan has created several tailor-made approaches in various informal settlements throughout the city. By the end of 2015, the Department could provide running water to 2,500 people living in Mombasa's informal settlements (Beja, 2016). More recently, the Department launched a number of initiatives, including an ambitious project launched in 2015 to target the extension of water supply to more than 300,000 people in the city, to ensure that residents receive clean piped water in their homes (Beja, 2016; WSUP, 2017). As such, the Department has been able to extend water and sanitation services throughout many informal settlements, reducing residents' water bills by up to 70% (WSUP, 2017).
The LIC Department has also resulted in unexpected benefits for Mowassco. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many of Mowassco's usual 'big spenders', such as hotels and industrial water users, have ceased operations. However, the utility was able to offset these losses due to the consistent revenue gained from the city's newly-connected, underprivileged residents (i.e., 60% of the city's population) (Oyamo, 2020).
Ultimately, Mowassco's partnership with WSUP to create a Low-Income Consumers Department resulted in benefits for all stakeholders involved (i.e., residents of informal settlements and poor Mombasans, their landlords, and the water utility).
References
Low-Income Consumers Department for Enhanced Access
Summary
The Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (Mowassco), with support from the NGO Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), established a low-income consumers department in 2014 to increase water and sanitation service access for the city's urban poor.
Mombasa, Kenya, has a limited water supply and sources most of its water from outside its county borders. Water demand is much greater than supply: the city only has resources to meet approximately 20% of its demand. As a result, Mowassco, the city's water utility, has historically prioritized providing the majority of this water to a few high-paying consumers, such as industrial users and hotels (Oyamo, 2020).
High-spending users have been prioritized for service provision historically, while nearly 60% of Mombasa's residents live in slums and informal settlements. Rationing in informal settlements is common due to the city's limited resources, which effectively leaves most of Mombasa's residents with infrequent, irregular, and insufficient access to a potable water supply.
Although access to clean and safe water and sanitation services is defined as a constitutional right of all Kenyans, many of Mombasa's residents lack access to clean and safe water services (Wekesa, 2013). Due to limited water network coverage and an inability to pay for one-off connection fees, inhabitants of informal settlements typically lack access to clean running water at home. They must queue for hours at communal taps (known as water kiosks) for water of questionable quality (WSUP, 2017). Securing water from water kiosks is time-consuming, physically strenuous, and expensive; residents typically queue for two to three hours, haul water back to their homes in jerry cans, and pay approximately 45 USD per month for untreated, salty water (WSUP, 2017). This burden generally falls to women and girl children. Typically, the poorest members of Mombasan society pay ten times more for water than the city's richest inhabitants (Oyamo, 2020).
Issue
Intervention
Recognizing the need to enhance safe and convenient access to clean and affordable water for the majority of Mombasa's population, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), an international NGO, partnered with Mowassco in 2013 to tailor a solution for water provision to Mombasa's poorest citizens through the utility. As a first step, WSUP performed an institutional capacity assessment of Mowassco, during which they found that the utility needed to improve on social aspects and, to some degree, certain commercial aspects of water provision (Oyamo, 2020). WSUP recognized the need to enhance these capacities within the utility while simultaneously convincing Mowassco of the importance of addressing low-income consumers' needs through a specialized approach. First, WSUP focused on easing relations between civil society and Mowassco by improving communication and understanding between the two groups to improve coverage in those areas (WSUP, 2017; Oyamo, 2020). Many of the myths surrounding water provision to informal settlements centered around incorrect, preconceived notions that inhabitants of informal settlements were irresponsible, likely to move elsewhere or simply disappear, and that they would be unwilling to pay for water service and coverage (Oyamo, 2020).
WSUP evidenced that not only are residents of informal settlements willing to pay for water and coverage but that they regularly pay far more for water from water kiosks than they would for formal service (Oyamo, 2020). Furthermore, WSUP argued that increasing coverage in informal settlements would increase Mowassco's customer base, thereby increasing revenue for the utility from a commercial standpoint. Finally, WSUP's assessment found that because residents of informal settlements would not be compelled to make illegal connections to the system or vandalize the pipeline if they received formal service, the utility would save significant money from non-revenue water and water losses (Oyamo, 2020).
Once WSUP convinced Mowassco of the need to provide formal service in informal settlements, the Low-Income Consumers (LIC) Department was created as a standalone department within Mowassco. LIC's primary objective is to handle the social aspects of water provision beyond simple engineering activities. The Department focuses on several activities, including the extension of network coverage in informal settlements, stakeholder engagement, and water provision to individual households in informal settlements (Oyamo, 2020).
In its early stages, Mowassco's LIC Department needed to gain acceptance for formal water connections in households from relevant stakeholders, including the settlements' inhabitants and their landlords. Naturally, residents were quite eager to obtain formal service as the water provided is of better quality and cheaper than the water they would otherwise retrieve from the kiosks (Oyamo, 2020). However, as most of these residents lack titles to the homes and buildings they inhabit, the LIC Department had to convince the landlords that installing water meters on their properties would benefit them. Mowassco's LIC Department, in conjunction with WSUP, was able to convince landlords that the installation of water meters would raise the value of their rental properties, as more people would be willing to move into and remain in homes with formal water connections. Once the initial connection fee was paid, landlords would bill their tenants for monthly water usage (Oyamo, 2020).
Challenges
Although the utility improved access to water for Mombasa's many residents in informal settlements, there were some tensions between entrepreneurs who ran privately managed boreholes and the utility: the entrepreneurs felt that the formal service provision threatened their livelihoods. Since the initiation of the LIC Department and Mowassco's efforts to extend coverage to informal settlements, attacks on water meter readers and Mowassco staff by the entrepreneurs were reported. At Mowassco's request, WSUP eased tensions between these two groups, brokering a good working relationship that continues to improve (WSUP, 2017).
Outcomes
Since its launch in 2013, Mowassco's LIC has successfully improved coverage in informal settlements throughout Mombasa. The Department's pro-poor strategic plan has created several tailor-made approaches in various informal settlements throughout the city. By the end of 2015, the Department could provide running water to 2,500 people living in Mombasa's informal settlements (Beja, 2016). More recently, the Department launched a number of initiatives, including an ambitious project launched in 2015 to target the extension of water supply to more than 300,000 people in the city, to ensure that residents receive clean piped water in their homes (Beja, 2016; WSUP, 2017). As such, the Department has been able to extend water and sanitation services throughout many informal settlements, reducing residents' water bills by up to 70% (WSUP, 2017).
The LIC Department has also resulted in unexpected benefits for Mowassco. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many of Mowassco's usual 'big spenders', such as hotels and industrial water users, have ceased operations. However, the utility was able to offset these losses due to the consistent revenue gained from the city's newly-connected, underprivileged residents (i.e., 60% of the city's population) (Oyamo, 2020).
Ultimately, Mowassco's partnership with WSUP to create a Low-Income Consumers Department resulted in benefits for all stakeholders involved (i.e., residents of informal settlements and poor Mombasans, their landlords, and the water utility).
Issues |
|---|
Water Scarcity and Access |
Solutions |
|---|
Affordable & Inclusive Water Access |
References
Beja, P. (2016, August 5). Low income earners to get clean piped water. The Standard. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/coast/article/2000210909/low-income-earners-to-get-clean-piped-water
Oyamo, P. (2020, August 26). EcoCiv Interview with Philip Oyamo, Senior Project Manager at Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP).
Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). (2017, March 21). From salt water to sustainable water. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from https://www.wsup.com/blog/from-salt-water-to-sustainable-water/
Wekesa, S. M. (2013). Right to clean and safe water under the Kenyan Constitution 2010: feature. ESR Review: Economic and Social Rights in South Africa, 14(1), 3–6.