From Rowdy Cartels to Organized Ones? The Transfer of Power in Urban Water Supply in Kenya

Akosua Sarpong Boakye-Ansah,Klaas Schwartz,Margreet Zwarteveen

doi:10.1057/s41287-019-00209-3

Akosua Sarpong Boakye-Ansah, Klaas Schwartz + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-019-00209-3

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Abstract

Due to the limited presence of formal water utilities in urban low-income areas in many developing countries, water supply is carried out by informal private providers. As part of efforts towards improving water services to low-income areas, the activities of these informal providers are currently being acknowledged through various formalization approaches. This article investigates one such formalization approach, which consists of partnerships between the utility and the informal providers. This is an approach which allows the utility to partially withdraw from service provisioning to the low-income areas. Based on empirical evidence from three such partnerships in low-income areas in three Kenyan cities, we show in this article that formalization redefines and strengthens the legal capacity of informal providers to gain control of service provision in these areas. This can bring benefits for the utility as well as for consumers. However, it also risks legitimizing and furthering the exploitation of consumers by informal providers.

Highlights

The different policies, programmes and projects devised over the past decades to improve access to water and sanitation in African cities have done little to expand services to large segments of the rapidly increasing urban population
Urban water supply in most African cities remains characterized by low coverage and erratic supply, with the wealthier inhabitants enjoying better services than those residing in low-income areas (Water and Sanitation Program-WSP 2005)
Through case studies from low-income areas in three Kenyan cities, where the formal water utilities are partnering with small-scale providers to deliver water to residents, we aim to assess the development of such partnerships in the water sector

Summary

Introduction

The different policies, programmes and projects devised over the past decades to improve access to water and sanitation in African cities have done little to expand services to large segments of the rapidly increasing urban population. Urban water supply in most African cities remains characterized by low coverage and erratic supply, with the wealthier inhabitants enjoying better services than those residing in low-income areas (Water and Sanitation Program-WSP 2005) Illustrative of this situation is the Kenyan water sector, where 98 registered water utilities only serve about 55% of the population (Water Services Regulatory Board-WASREB 2016). The difficulty in properly accounting for and billing the water delivered to low-income areas is the main reason that most water utilities consider service delivery to these areas a burden (Heymans et al 2014; Berg and Mugisha 2010) They prefer to expand services to those areas where tariff collection is easier, and immediate financial returns are more promising They prefer to expand services to those areas where tariff collection is easier, and immediate financial returns are more promising (Castro and Morel 2008, p. 291)

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