Plenty of people have been working on water in East Africa for decades, and we are one of many. What we are trying is a franchise model, where local entrepreneurs and communities own and run the water enterprise themselves, with hygiene education and shared technology alongside them.
Our starting point is that when a community is genuinely in charge of its water, the health outcomes tend to follow. So we bring together the traditional water infrastructure with health promotion, better data, appropriate technology and pooled funding, and shape it into a franchise that carries both social impact and an economic return for the people running it.
The model was built over time, together with the communities who use the water, the health workers who follow up on hygiene, the engineers who keep the pumps running, and the partners who have been in this for the long haul.
Communities and entrepreneurs become the owners of the water enterprise. We help arrange finance for the initial investment, on one condition: the franchisee puts in at least 15 percent of the capital before we start. Ownership means responsibility, and it shows.
We renovate existing water systems, or build new ones, together with the community. Layout, tariffs and dispensing points are decided with the users so they actually get used.
Local health care providers weave hand washing, sanitation and safe storage into every launch and every campaign, so the health benefits actually stick.
Our technology helps us keep safe water available all year, with a working promise that no site stays down for longer than 72 hours. In much of the region the average wait is close to a month, which is exactly the situation we exist to change.
Local companies, private partners and an international NGO, Amref Health Africa. Each does what it is best at, and each stays in for the long run.
Every site starts with a groundwater scan. If the yield is there, we build with solar so the running costs stay reasonable, prepaid meters so the money story is honest, and a shared dashboard so the team can see what is happening as it happens.
A quick walk through the franchise model, the community equity, the health partnership, and the technology that keeps a site running.
To make sure the impact lasts, we monitor everything, new and old. We fix what breaks, learn from mistakes, and celebrate the wins.
An existing privately managed water project. We solarised the borehole, rehabilitated reservoirs, added prepaid metering, and layered on the health programme. About 7,500 people served.
Serving Kumpa market, a health facility and a primary school. Borehole, pump, solar, storage, pipe works, kiosks and health programme. Around 3,000 people rely on it every day.
A community and a primary school, sharing one properly designed system. Borehole, pump, solar, storage, pipes and hygiene education. About 1,500 people served.
Answer a few plain questions about your area, how people would use the water, and what the borehole might yield. You will see a first sketch of the business case straight away. No account, no sign in.
| Monthly revenue | KES 187,425 |
| Franchisee income | KES 79,655 |
| People served daily | 2,100 |
| Loan cover | 2.31x |
A first sketch, not a promise. Your own answers take about five minutes.
Our mission is to radically improve the situation of 1.5 million Kenyans in water stressed areas over the next seven years, together with the communities, the entrepreneurs, and with you.
Milestones, lessons and new sites, gathered up into one honest look at where the franchise is heading.
A journey to Kajiado County for the day the taps opened at our first site, with the franchise partners and the community all in one place.
A short piece on human centered design at a WaterStarter, and what the community actually asked for.
The pump for our second borehole went in last week, and it felt like a milestone worth marking properly.