WASHPaLS Kenya Sanitation Market Assessment Findings - Final Report

Access to basic sanitation is a significant challenge in Kenya, especially in rural areas. An estimated 70 percent of Kenya’s population—approximately 36 million people—lack access to basic sanitation. Almost 5 million of them continue to practice open defecation. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability Project (WASHPaLS) conducted a sanitation market assessment (SMA) in four counties to help USAID/Kenya and East Africa understand potential opportunities for market-based sanitation approaches within different contexts in Kenya.

The assessment focused on increasing adoption of "durable, improved" toilets through markets, and reveals that the sanitation market in rural western Kenya is ripe with potential with several favorable demand- and supply-side conditions. But poor information flows on product prices and unclear roles of certain market players impede the market. A compendium and a presentation of key findings were also developed to accompany this report.