In Kenya’s informal settlements, many residents don’t have access to even basic facilities like pit latrines. Instead, they resort to using “flying toilets.” “Often, during the night, we would do our business in the polythene bags, or containers, and then, in the very early morning, dispose of the waste by throwing it onto the roads or riverbanks,” said Leah Gachanja, who now operates three Fresh Life toilets in Mukuru kwa Reuben, one of Nairobi’s biggest slums.
Since installing the Fresh Life toilets, Gachanja has increased her own income, and her self-confidence along with it. “From the money I earn, I have been able to supplement my husband’s income and comfortably provide for our children’s needs such as food and even school fees,” she said.
Josephine Kemunto, one of Sanergy’s 381 Fresh Life operators, rents out eight plots in the slums. She said replacing the open pit latrines has improved health issues, while reducing bad smells and maggot infestations. “There was a lot of coughing in the plot by tenants and children,” Kemunto said. “But ever since I discovered Fresh Life toilets, this problem has reduced.”