Toilet Business: Making Sanitation Accessible in Western Kenya

Along a busy highway in western Kenya, 39 year old Cleophas Anunda Jomo, operates his sanitation business welcoming customers from his community in Bungoma County in need of new or improved latrines, basic toilets, and other sanitation products.

In Kenya, basic sanitation services remain a challenge with only 29 percent of people having access to improved sanitation facilities. Bungoma County is ranked number 33 out of 47 in the county sanitation benchmarking by the Ministry of Health. Only 39 percent of sanitation in that county has been improved.

Cleophas first participated in a USAID supported business development coaching program in March 2023. He was one of 72 people who attended a series of workshops for small business owners. The sessions taught basic construction techniques to build different types of latrines and their components, material selection, toilet pan mold design, quality control and assurance processes, and business and financial management skills to sustain their businesses and maintain competitiveness. Cleophas has now mastered a number of improved toilet techniques, like retrofitting an improved toilet pan to an existing toilet.

Cleophas, who initially started off as an artisan and now turned business owner, is realizing steady growth. Each month he regularly brings in 30,000 KSH (US $232) from his new business. His shop is located along a busy highway making it a perfect spot for targeting customers. He is among many entrepreneurs who have since digitized their record keeping and formally registered their business with the local authorities. 

“I used to work in a church full-time and had never thought of engaging in sanitation until I met Juliet, a project staff with USAID Western Kenya Sanitation Project who drew my interest into sanitation as a potentially profitable business,” says Cleophas. He adds, “ I started off as a sanitation sales agent and a latrine construction artisan and over time I have grown my business making a good income from both.  Now I own a hardware store. I consider myself an angel to the society, serving my community by providing affordable sanitation services, hence the name of my business, Angelic Hardware Store.”

USAID is implementing this 5-year project in eight counties in the western region of Kenya. The goal is to develop a sustainable, locally-owned sanitation marketplace that enables customers to effectively source products and services and incentivizes enterprises to improve their offerings. 

Besides training, USAID continues to provide one-on-one business coaching for business owners like Cleophas to support them in maintaining the quality of products and services they offer while exploring innovative ways to develop even more affordable products for the community. These efforts are ensuring that more Kenyans, especially in the rural areas and marginalized populations, are able to access safely managed sanitation services, preserving their dignity and improving their quality of life.

Cleophas is paying it forward too. Through his enterprise he has mentored artisans and sales agents in Bungoma town who also sell sanitation products, toilet disinfectants, and menstrual waste management bins. His company is now creating additional local jobs for youth in toilet construction, waste collection, menstrual waste collection and disposal, and plumbing repairs.

Cleophas’ entrepreneurship journey highlights the transformative power of USAID’s direct investment in local communities and businesses to strengthen homegrown entrepreneurial solutions that improve access to safe, low-cost, and sustainable sanitation products and services for communities in western Kenya. 

To date, the USAID Western Kenya Sanitation Project has helped 113,163 people access basic and safely managed sanitation services. By supporting entrepreneurs like Cleopas, USAID is not only building individual latrines, but also creating a sustainable marketplace for improving access to affordable, quality, decent and dignified sanitation products and services for all Kenyans. This work is complemented by activities to increase access to finance, support county governments to develop and implement sanitation policies, and strengthen water and sanitation service providers.

About The Author

Sarah Samuel, Senior Communications Manager, RTI International.