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Increasing access to safe water in rural Kenya
A maintenance app for local franchisees running rural water schemes, logging checks by photo, voice and text from the field.
The problem
In Kenya, 30–40% of the installed water supply systems are broken, and 1 out of 3 people still consume water from unprotected sources. Water systems are mechanical. If they are not maintained regularly, they eventually break down.
What we designed
We worked with WaterStarters on an initiative to increase access to safe water in rural areas in Kenya, partnering with local entrepreneurs to run new water scheme businesses through a franchising model.
We designed a mobile app for the Franchisee. It records information during water scheme maintenance checks and guides the Franchisee on what to do if an issue arises. Images, voice and text can be uploaded on location, and WaterStarters can access the data it needs for compliance checking.
We prototyped with the first Franchisee in Kumpa, Kajiado county, a community of 2,800 people and over 5,000 livestock. 10 further water schemes were in development, including in Makueni, Machakos, and Kitui counties.
We handed the designs over to the development partner, and the design-for-good organisation worked with them to implement the solution. Our involvement ended at that handover. Implementation is proceeding phase by phase.
Beyond the 12 and 24-month targets, WaterStarters’ stated ambition is to scale to 580 water schemes across rural and peri-urban Kenya regions, to reach 1.5 million people by 2030.
- 580 water schemes WaterStarters aims to support by 2030
- 1.5M people WaterStarters aims to reach with clean water by 2030
- < 5 min app onboarding with no prior smartphone experience
Anticipated additional impact
Income
Less money spent on medicine. Less time away from work collecting water, and so more income. More income from better fed and watered livestock.
Health & Wellbeing
Less water-borne disease, and less need for medicine. Fewer visits to clinics and hospitals. Better nutrition from food cooked with clean water. Happier communities.
Education
Less time away from school to collect water.