Ngumi Water and sanitation Project in Kiambu

Ngumi Water and Sanitation Project is located about 35 km from Nairobi in Kikuyu location of the County of Kiambu. The area has no
surface water and the nearest river is more than 8
km away. The story of this community-based project
started in 1994, when the residents came together
and formed the organisation with the main aim of
providing water.
Karanja Mungai, the chairman of Ngumi Water and
Sanitation Project, says it was very cumbersome for
the community at Ngumi to access adequate clean
water and they often spent the whole day trying to
fetch one jerrican of water: “As a community we
needed a project within the community that could
get us water.”
In 2010, Ngumi Water and Sanitation Project
approached the Water Fund for a partnership they
believed would enable them access adequate and safe
drinking water and improved sanitation facilities.
This dream soon became a reality when the WSTF, impressed by the residents’ plan to solve their persistent water problem, partnered with them through
its Rural Investment Programme. “WSTF funded our
project in two phases, the first phase is where we put
up the structures and sunk a borehole for the cost of
KES 8 million. The Ngumi community contributed
15% of that amount through labor and construction
materials. The second phase was also funded by the
Water Fund at the cost of KES 4 million,” explains
Karanja Mungai.
The WSTF’s Rural Investment Programme is developed to enhance the capacity of communities to
apply for, manage, implement and maintain their
own water and sanitation facilities, and Ngumi Water
and Sanitation Project is a shining example. The
project delivers clean piped water to its members
and a host of other beneficiaries including schools,
hospitals, churches and even farmers who are practicing greenhouse agriculture. The project has also
constructed modern toilets and sanitation facilities, located in selected public places, to improve hygiene
and reduce the disease burden amongst the community. Ngumi Water and Sanitation Project has so far
connected and serves 170 households, which translates to over 3000 residents, with clean piped water,
and remains a big success and example of how a
community can transform lives by working together.