Luanda Kotieno Public Toilet, DEWATS

Report by Moses Wakala, submitted on 08-10-2010
Project Location


Luanda Kotieno Beach town is located off Kisumu-Bondo road adjacent to Lake Victoria as the Ferry crosses to Mbita. It is a busy town with fishing and business as the main economic activities. Many people pass in this town as they cross over to the other side of the lake it being the shorter route.
Many people also come to this town as business men especially dealing in fish and food products apart from household goods.

Sanitation condition before the project This region as a whole lacks adequate sanitation facilities. This is as a result of existence of black cotton soil that causes toilets to collapse due to constant expansion and contraction of the soil. This has made many families and people passing in the region to use the bush and the lakeside as the only sanitation option. Out of ten businesses visited in town, only two were having pit latrines and the rest did not have anything. The business community at the open market doesn’t have anything to use in the surrounding.

Objective and Motivation of Project The objectives of the project were mainly
· Introduce the concept of on-site treatment to ease sanitation problem in town
· Improve sanitation in the town.
· To reduce constant lake pollution by open defecation. The lake is the main source of livelihood in the community which is threatened by this menace.

The main motivation of the project was to increase access to good sanitation and clean water to all, as per the millennium development goal number 7.
Implemented Technology
1. Toilet cubicles for Gents and Ladies with showers and Gents urinal.
2. 50 cubic meters digester.
3. 6 chamber anaerobic up-flow reactor.

Current state The toilet has not been in use since its completion and handing over in June. The management committee has not been available to plan for any meeting to be trained on use and management of the facility. Two planned meetings have not picked up due to absence of management committee to finalize on use of facility.

Way forward In the last visit, we have set next week for a community training for all the stake holders. This will entail training on operation and maintenance for the selected operator and management team.


Photo Documentation



Toilet facility at Luanda Kotieno Beach Town with the old pit latrine collapsing. There is no water connection nearby therefore pour flush will be used as an alternative.



New Toilet Block at Luanda Kotieno Beach Town with pour flush technology

The Digester and Baffle Reactor designed to treat the waste from the public toilet in Luanda Kotieno Beach town.
Fish Business community next to the toilet facility without sanitation
A passenger ferry leaves the town six times in a day

Bill Board of the project just in front of a food cafeteria

Small scale business slowly sprouting up, lack sanitation facilities in town