The WaterStarters model.

What a WaterStarter actually is.

A WaterStarter is a small water utility serving one community, usually between 1,500 and 7,500 people, run as a franchise under shared rules.

The site

A single borehole with solar pumping, a storage tank, and a small network of dispensing points. Kiosks and household connections, plus a bulk water outlet where it makes sense. Every dispensing point uses prepaid metering, so revenue is captured cleanly.

The franchisee

A local co op or entrepreneur, chosen with the community. They put in at least 15 percent of the CAPEX and take on the day to day. The operator’s salary, minor operations and maintenance, sales, and customer service. It is their business.

The revenue split

Every shilling that comes in is divided by a fixed formula. Up to 42.5 percent to the franchisee (the FRS, the Franchisee Revenue Share). 2.5 percent to bank charges. 2.5 percent as a management fee. 10 percent as a franchise fee. And 42.5 percent to loan repayment. If the franchisee accepts a lower FRS, the difference flows to accelerated loan repayment.

The back office

Behind every site sits a central back office that carries the engineering standards, a shared spares network, remote monitoring, financial reporting, and the scenario planner we use to size any new site. Between the two, the franchisee is the one who serves the water, and the platform is what makes that easier to do reliably.

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