Project Name: Nyaruenya Community Water & Sanitation Project
Project Location: Bondo District, Nyanza Province, Western Kenya
Project Cost: CDN $40,000
Project Reach: Over 3,000 people
Key Activities: Water supply, hygiene and sanitation promotion, capacity building

Bondo District in Nyanza Province is an isolated rural area that is located approximately 350 kilometers east of Nairobi, Kenya’s national capital. For most families here, drinking water comes from polluted seasonal streams and unprotected springs. During the dry season the only available water is obtained from distant water pans (natural low-lying areas) or from Lake Victoria. Water collectors – usually women and children – can easily spend two or more hours just to fetch a single container of water. This tedious yet vital daily chore takes time and energy away from efforts to pursue more productive activities such as child care, attending school, and farming.


The poor water situation in Bondo District is made worse by the general lack of sanitation facilities and basic information on good hygiene practices. Most households do not have access to any kind of sanitation facility. During the rainy season, the surface runoff causes tremendous soil erosion and further exacerbates the health problems associated with the common practice of open field defecation. Not surprisingly, water and sanitation related diseases such as diarrhea, intestinal parasites, and skin and eye infections, are common health problems affecting villagers.


The challenges facing Nyaruenya Village are common to many rural communities in Bondo District. Local streams are seasonal and the potential of groundwater resources is extremely poor. The only feasible water supply solution for the community is the development of a nearby pan that is silted up. This involves expanding the pan, compacting the ground to reduce infiltration rates, constructing embankments, and planting stabilizing vegetation to protect the surrounding catchment area.


Recently, the Kenyan government adopted a policy of free Universal Primary Education (UPE) in recognition of the importance of an educated population to support local poverty reduction efforts. While this has allowed more children than ever to get an education, it has resulted in dramatic increases in student enrollment. As a consequence, water and sanitation conditions at local schools in the Nyaruenya area are particularly grim and need to be urgently addressed.

The overall goal of the project was to improve the quality of life of people living in Nyaruenya Village through the development of water supplies, basic sanitation facilities, and the carrying out of hygiene education. The project was expected to benefit at least 3,800 villagers.

Photo : Rainwater tank at Tiga Primary School

• Development of a 5,000 m3 capacity water pan; construction of an adjacent well fitted with a hand-pump for domestic water supply, and a drinking trough for livestock.
• Construction of rooftop rainwater tanks at three local primary schools (each with a 20,000-litre capacity)
• Establishment and training of a Water Management Committees made up of community members/school staff to manage each developed water-point
• Construction of ten household-level improved pit latrines for demonstration purposes in the general community.
• Construction of institutional toilet blocks at three local primary schools
• Carrying out of sanitation and hygiene education activities at local schools and in the general community

Photo: Main water pan (under construction)

• The main pan is complete and operational, and is being managed by a community-elected committee. Local villagers have helped to construct a fence around the pan. Additional resources are being sought from the local government to enhance the pan’s soil and water conservation measures. The communal water point and cattle trough adjacent to the pan are now complete and in use.
• Construction of rainwater tanks at three local primary schools (Tiga, Omboye and Nyagopo) completed. One school (Kiswaro) is still awaiting the completion of the roof of the main school block. Water Management Committees at each of the three schools have been established and trained.
• Ten household-level improved pit latrines for demonstration purposes in the general community have been constructed. The promotion of these facilities has been supported by the efforts of local villagers who have been trained as Village Resource Persons. This has resulted in some area families building latrines within their household compounds.
• Construction of institutional toilet blocks at three local primary schools (Tiga, Oboye, Kiswaro) completed
• Sanitation and hygiene education activities conducted at local schools and in the general community. Key messages include hand-washing at critical times, and how to construct simple hand- washing facilities.

Photo: Students and teachers next to rainwater tank at Omboye Primary School

• Over 3,000 people in the Nyaruenya area have now gained improved access to safe and sustainable water supplies.
• Three local primary schools have improved access to sanitation facilities; this had helped to reduce the practice of defecation in adjacent fields thereby improving local environmental sanitation conditions.
• Community members, and students and teachers at local schools, have increased knowledge of good personal hygiene and environmental sanitation practices

• Implementation of the project in late 2005 and early 2006 was especially challenging due to prolonged drought. The drought made community mobilization efforts and the securing of voluntary labour difficult since local subsistence farming households were pre-occupied with more pressing day-to-day concerns such as searching for water and food.
• Drought conditions reduced the amount of water collected by the pan and school rainwater tanks.
• The rainwater tank at Kiswaro Primary School not yet operational due to delays in the construction of the roof of the main school block by local authorities.
• Dry conditions made digging of latrine pits in hard soil difficult, especially among female-headed households.