Turkana, Kenya – For decades, Turkana West Sub-County has faced a prolonged sanitation crisis. Until recently, the area had only one public toilet serving thousands of residents, risking widespread open defecation, health risks, and loss of dignity.
Open defecation in the county, especially in densely populated areas like Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, has been a stumbling block to climate change solutions and efforts.
However, innovative interventions and initiatives sprouting in the area have become a solution, addressing this challenge and scaling climate-resilient sanitation in Turkana County.
The partnership between Fresh Life Sanitation Services Ltd and Atoo Kakuma Usafi Company Ltd serves as a good example of climate-resilient solutions.
Sanitation solutions in Turkana
The long-term Distributorship Agreement signed on Wednesday, April 15, aims to expand access to sustainable, market-led sanitation solutions across the Kakuma Refugee Camp, the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, and the surrounding host communities.
The agreement, enabled by Swisscontact, formalized Atoo Kakuma as a non-exclusive distributor of Fresh Life’s Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDTs)—a water-efficient, climate-resilient sanitation solution suited for arid and semi-arid regions.
The partnership represented a private-sector-led solution to WASH service delivery in fragile contexts like Kakuma, designed to operate as a sustainable local market and continue well beyond donor-funded project cycles.
Jimmy Delyon, Team Lead at Swisscontact, noted that the agreement demonstrates that sanitation can move beyond short-term humanitarian delivery to become a viable local business that addresses public health, dignity, and economic inclusion at scale.
“What began as an ambition to introduce a private-sector-led sanitation model in Kakuma has now evolved into a proof point that sustainable, market-driven solutions can work in fragile and refugee-hosting contexts,” said Delyon in a press statement seen by news9.africa.
Atoo Kakuma Usafi Company CEO Moses Eyaran explained that the Fresh Life-Atoo partnership, facilitated by Swisscontact, addressed this challenge by expanding pay-for-use UDDTs in public spaces and high-density areas and by strengthening a local enterprise to manage and sustain services.
“This partnership marks a defining milestone in Atoo’s evolution from a community-based youth initiative into a professionally run sanitation enterprise.
“We began at a very small scale, and through Swisscontact’s support, our potential was recognised and strengthened, opening the door to a commercial partnership with Fresh Life that validates local enterprise in refugee-hosting contexts,” said Eyaran.
He added that the collaboration has built critical operational capacity, particularly in logistics, coordination, waste collection, and sanitation centre management, which helps deliver services more efficiently, expand our reach, and scale a locally led sanitation business that can operate sustainably over the long term in Kakuma and beyond.
From sanitation access to job creation
Since the CP WASH initiative began less than a year ago, 57 UDDTs have been installed across Kakuma town, creating jobs and new income streams.
Thirty-seven local entrepreneurs are now engaged in installation, servicing, management, and waste transport, while 45 young people are employed in briquette production and marketing. More than 200 women earn income supplying Mathenge (Prosopis) biomass used in briquette production.
Waste collected from the UDDTs is transported by Kalobeyei Water and Sanitation Company (Kalwasco) to Sanivation Ltd, where it is treated and converted into eco-friendly fuel briquettes, creating a structured circular economy with environmental and economic benefits.
Scaling climate-resilient sanitation models
The partnership demonstrates how sanitation solutions can be adapted for contexts without conventional
sewer infrastructure.
“As we expand, we have to recognise that many areas in Kenya do not have sewer lines. This partnership allows us to replicate the Fresh Life model in such contexts while supporting a strong local enterprise. There are many lessons that can be applied in Kakuma, and we are committed to supporting Atoo as the team continues to grow,” said Angela Nzioki, Head of Strategy at Fresh Life
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