Trust in Providers of Domestic Water: A Comparison of the Public Utility and Informal Vendors in Dar Es Salaam

Abstract

This article examines factors associated with trust in the public water utility and informal water vendors in the city of Dar es Salaam. We model trust in terms of citizens’ perceptions of what water providers deliver, how well the service fits with their lifestyle and values, the ease with which they can contact and influence the provider, and how well the government handles water issues. Our data come from a survey of the adult population of the four main residential districts of Dar es Salaam, conducted in March 2018. We find that trust in water providers is built on different foundations for the public utility and informal vendors. For the public utility, trust depends mainly on habituation to the service, knowledge of the vernacular and evaluations of government performance. For informal vendors, trust depends mainly on habituation to the service and capacity for engagement with social issues. Our study illustrates the how trust in service providers is an outcome of social accountability at the micro-level.