Informal Small-scale Water Supply System: Influence on Water Service Delivery in Informal Settlements

Abstract

The research paper sought to examine the influence of the informal small-scale supply system on domestic water service delivery in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Nairobi City County, by establishing the vendors’ primary water source, analyzing the challenges, and assessing household perceptions of the system. The study was anchored on the living condition diamond framework to assess the living conditions of the informal small-scale operators and the influence on domestic water service delivery in the studied settlements. A mixed-method approach was employed in the study. The quantitative strand involved the administration of questionnaires on randomly sampled households and informal small-scale operators. On the other hand, the qualitative strand employed the use of key informants guides to purposively selected informants. 105 households, 67 informal small-scale operators, and 4 key informants were interviewed for the study. Data analysis involved; descriptive, bivariate, and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. The study findings reveal that the informal small-scale operators appropriated water from the state’s utility channeled through the chambers. The owners operated the water enterprise and made an average of Ksh. 400 daily. The main challenges experienced by the operators were electricity and debts from clients. In terms of perception, households were positive about the vendors’ initiative in the settlement. However, the study findings did not find a significant association between the variables in the study sample. The cross-tabulations yielded p values >0.05. Generally, the study findings reveal the significant contribution of the informal small-scale operators in urban informal settlements in the absence of the state’s utility