Safe water opens doors for women in Kibera

The fish trader, who lives and works in Makina, Kibera, used to walk about four kilometres in search of water. When she found it, she paid Ksh.200 for 200 litres and another Ksh.100 to transport it home—a total of Ksh.300 for water whose safety was not guaranteed.

Water and gender are among the issues being discussed at World Water Week in Stockholm this week, under the 2026 theme, “Water for People and Progress.”

Today, Akinyi no longer makes the long journey.

She gets the same quantity of water from a Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) kiosk near her home and business, paying just Ksh.30 for 200 litres and nothing for transport.

“I am able to save the money I used to spend on buying and transporting water. SHOFCO water is also clean. We don’t boil it before we drink as we used to do with the water we bought from other vendors,” Akinyi says.

She uses part of the savings to contribute to her chama (merry-go-round), support her children’s education and buy food for her family.

In Kibera, the burden of limited access to water has historically fallen heavily on women and girls.

SHOFCO founder and chief executive Dr Kennedy Odede knows the challenge from personal experience. Having grown up in Gatwekera, Kibera, he recalls women walking long distances in search of water.

“I saw women walk for a distance of 14 kilometres round trip from my village in Gatwekera to Kenya Science in search of water. This took away hours every day that could have been spent working, running businesses, caring for their families or participating in community development,” he says.

For Maurine Nelima, another Kibera resident, the search for water meant walking about five kilometres. At times, she would spend hours looking for water only to return home without enough for her household.

“It was difficult in the mornings because my children needed water to wash, eat and prepare for school, and there were days when they missed school altogether. Having a water kiosk nearby has changed our lives,” she says.

Odede says the link between water, sanitation and girls’ education is one reason SHOFCO has made schools a key focus of its water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme.

“When water was not available, girls were often asked to help find it. That meant missing school or arriving late,” he says.

SHOFCO has connected 45 schools in Kibera to water and constructed ablution blocks.

The organisation also plans to expand access to sanitation facilities to more than 120,000 pupils in 60 public primary schools in informal settlements across Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa counties over the next three years.

Odede says SHOFCO uses overhead water pipes instead of underground systems, arguing that trenching through densely populated settlements is slow and expensive and exposes infrastructure to tampering.

Fifty-four SHOFCO water kiosks now operate around the clock in Kibera, serving about 60,000 people daily. The kiosks use digital, token-based payment systems linked to mobile money, allowing residents to purchase water electronically.

According to Odede, residents can buy water for Ksh3 per 20-litre jerrycan, compared with as much as Ksh20 charged by private vendors. The lower cost allows households to redirect savings towards food, education and income-generating activities.

Angela Ngetich, SHOFCO’s programmes director, says the organisation’s water services extend beyond households to hospitals and local businesses.

She says reliable water is particularly important in Kibera, where many informal businesses are owned and operated by women.

“Water is an essential input for businesses, especially those run by women. When water is reliable and affordable, women spend less time looking for it and more time running their businesses, earning income and supporting their families,” Ngetich says.