An Assessment Of Public Private Partnership In Water Supply And Governance In Mathare Informal Settlement, Nairobi County

Abstract

The study investigated the contribution of public-private partnership to water supply and governance in Kosovo village of Mathare informal settlement. This was with a view to showcase whether such a partnership would be essential in addressing the water challenges in the informal settlements. In so doing, the study was steered by three objectives; firstly was determination of the situation of water accessibility in Kosovo village; second was an examination of the nature of public private partnership in water supply and governance in Kosovo village of Mathare informal settlement; and lastly, assessment of the opportunities and challenges of public private partnership in water governance in informal settlements. Primary and secondary data were utilised from a household survey of 87 respondents, focus group discussion and 10 key informant interviews. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were applied in analysing the data in this study. Primarily, descriptive techniques which involved the use of frequency tables and the central tendencies measures were applied. The findings of the study have revealed that the adoption of public private partnerships contributed immensely in water supply and governance in Kosovo village. Specifically, it has been found that the co-option of all water and sanitation sector stakeholders enabled the improvement of water supply by ensuring that vandalism is reduced, time spent in fetching water is reduced and that water is available for the most part of the week. The study recommends that public private partnerships in water supply and governance must exist within an effective enabling environment with a strong regulatory body. Secondly, the policy makers should also consider incorporating the informal water service providers into the institutional framework since they can support, disrupt or replace the water utility. Thirdly, the active participation of the informal settlement dwellers in the water provision service alongside the other partners has proved effective. Water policies should thus allow for the active role of the communities in the provision service with supervision from the public water service utility companies. The public water utility companies (Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company) should thus enforce monitoring and evaluation system to be able to track progress and take stock of valuable lessons and good practices from the partnership to be replicated in other informal urban settlements.