Dagoretti Market Biogas Latrine

Enhancing access to public sanitation and water facilities in Dagoretti Market
2016 SEED Gender Equality Award; SWITCH-Africa Green,2016 SEED Gender Equality Award; Hogan Lovells
Waste Management
Dagoretti Market, Nairobi
Kenya

Dagoretti Market Biogas Latrine is run by the Community in Action for Change (CAC) women’s group and provides a multitude of community services resulting from its biogas converter and solar energy panels. Customers are charged for toilet services and showers. Waste from the toilet facilities is converted into biogas, which is then used by the company’s restaurant for cooking. Visitors can also have their mobile phones charged for a small fee and conduct M-Pesa money transactions. Laundry and water kiosk facilities are to be added as a next step. While members of CAC are employed and paid a daily wage, the restaurant and MPESA shop are hired out to operators who remit a weekly fee.

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
Dagoretti Market Biogas Latrine serves an average of 300 people daily by providing hygienic toilet, showering, laundry, restaurant, M-pesa and phone-charging services. The toilet has met a pressing need, particularly for women. Jobs are created which supports increased revenue for the CAC women's group.
  • Serving an average of 300 people daily, especially women, with toilet, showering, laundry, restaurant, M-pesa and phone charging services.
  • Improving the health environment in and around Dagoretti Market.
  • Offering enterprise training to 15 women and 10 young people on topics that include basic bookkeeping and profit and loss analysis.
  • Reducing pollution in the Kabuthi River through accessible sanitation.
  • Converting human and animal waste into biogas, which is then reused for cooking and heating water at the facility.
  • Using a solar energy kit for lighting and charging phones, replacing kerosene and diesel.
  • Providing employment to more than ten women, through managing the facility, cleaning, cooking and maintaining equipment.
  • Generating revenue for CAC women members, through annual surplus generated by the biogas latrine.
  • Enabling entrepreneurs to run the shower, restaurant, laundry and facilities on low energy costs.

Partners

Dagoretti Market Biogas Latrine is a female-run, community-based initiative that uses renewable energy options (biogas and solar) to address multiple community needs in sanitation and energy under one roof.

Community in Action for Change is a women’s group and a Community-Based-Organisation (CBO) selected by the community to manage and run the biogas latrine.

The Ondiri, Nyangara, Kabuthi and Rungiri Water Resource Users Association (ONKARU) develops community water and sanitation projects in the area.

Millennium Community Development Initiatives (MCDI) constructed the biogas latrine and continues to provide technical support and link the enterprise with other potential partners.