PPP
Public-private partnership
County governments, public entities, private-sector actors, and development partners combine land, funding, technical support, and institutional responsibility.
WASHEM
WASHEM · Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Enterprise Model
A practical model for sustainable WASH in public spaces.
WASHEM brings together public-private partnership, public participation, social enterprise, inclusion, youth employment, and long-term facility management to improve access to safe and dignified WASH services.
Why WASHEM was developed
Public facilities often fail when construction is treated as the finish line.
WASHEM responds to a familiar challenge: a facility may be built, but without maintenance, management, financing, public participation, and accountability, it can quickly stop serving the people it was meant to help.
The model shifts attention from infrastructure alone to sustainable service delivery. It connects government responsibility, private-sector participation, community ownership, local enterprise, hygiene practice, and inclusive design.
WASHEM is not only about toilets. It is about creating a system that can remain clean, functional, inclusive, accountable, and locally valuable.
The three pillars
Technical delivery supported by social and economic systems.
The WASHEM innovation is built around three connected models that make long-term WASH service delivery more realistic.
PUBLIC
Public participation
Communities help identify needs, shape facility design, understand responsibilities, and support accountability, use, and local ownership.
SOCIAL
Social enterprise
Facilities generate revenue while supporting local employment, youth rehabilitation, training, mentorship, and long-term operation and maintenance.
How the model works
From identified need to sustainable public service.
The documented engagement model follows a clear sequence that brings together government, Maji na Ufanisi, investors, communities, and local operators.
1
Identify the needA county government or public entity identifies an existing facility or need for a new one.2
Secure landThe county government identifies and provides the required public land or space.3
Formalise partnershipAn MoU establishes roles, land arrangements, safeguards, and transfer terms.4
Mobilise investmentMaji na Ufanisi brings together funding and technical partners for rehabilitation or construction.5
Operate as an enterpriseThe facility generates revenue while supporting hygiene, employment, maintenance, and local management.6
Transfer and sustainAfter agreed obligations are met, the facility is transferred back to the public or community system.
What WASHEM is designed to achieve
Health, dignity, employment, inclusion, and stronger public systems.
ACCESS
Safer public services
Clean, functional, and accessible WASH facilities for women, children, persons with disabilities, traders, commuters, and the general public.
JOBS
Youth employment
Local youth gain employment, business skills, mentorship, and opportunities to strengthen their livelihoods.
O&M
Maintenance financing
User fees create a revenue stream that can support cleaning, supplies, repairs, staffing, and continued operation.
GOV
More efficient public spending
Public-private collaboration can reduce pressure on county budgets while improving the quality of services.
HYGIENE
Behaviour change
WASH services are reinforced through hygiene education and links with health, schools, communities, and public institutions.
INCL
Inclusive design
Universal design and participatory planning help address privacy, accessibility, safety, and dignity.
LOCAL
Community ownership
Communities participate as users, workers, managers, and accountability actors—not passive recipients.
GREEN
Environmental responsibility
The model can incorporate renewable energy, better waste management, and greener facility design.
Successful WASHEM projects
Different communities. One adaptable model.
These examples show how WASHEM can be adapted across different urban and public-space contexts while preserving the same core principles: community ownership, safe sanitation, enterprise management, inclusion, and long-term maintenance.
Historic pilot
Kongowea Market: the original documented pilot
Kongowea remains historically important because it demonstrated the potential of youth-led, community-managed sanitation in a major public market in Mombasa County.
The documented pilot reported 60 rehabilitated public toilets, more than 100 youth and women employed, and over 30,000 daily users. It later received AfricaSan recognition and helped strengthen public confidence in the model.
No Kongowea image is displayed here because a verified project photograph has not yet been supplied.
The five sustainability pillars
A facility lasts when the system around it works.
01
Revenue generation
A small user fee helps fund cleaning, supplies, repairs, staff, and continued service.
02
Partnerships
Government, communities, private actors, and technical partners contribute different strengths.
03
Public participation
Community involvement strengthens trust, relevance, use, and accountability.
04
Quality WASH
Facilities must remain safe, clean, accessible, private, and responsive to different user needs.
05
Risk management
Clear MoUs, land arrangements, roles, safeguards, and transfer terms reduce uncertainty.
Inclusion by design
A public facility should work for the people most often excluded.
WASHEM places special attention on women, girls, youth, children, and persons with disabilities because poor facility design often affects them most.
Privacy and safetyDesign and management should protect users, especially women and girls.
AccessibilityUniversal design helps persons with disabilities use services with greater dignity.
ParticipationExcluded groups should help shape the services intended for them.
Economic opportunityYouth and vulnerable groups can participate as workers, managers, and entrepreneurs.
What the model teaches
WASHEM is a lesson in systems thinking.
1
Infrastructure is only one part
A facility without management, financing, maintenance, and accountability can quickly fail.
2
Enterprise can support public value
Revenue generation can help sustain services while creating jobs and strengthening local livelihoods.
3
Participation improves sustainability
Community involvement helps facilities respond to real needs and strengthens ownership.
4
Inclusion must be intentional
Accessibility, privacy, security, and dignity rarely happen by accident.
5
Partnership clarifies responsibility
Government, investors, implementers, and communities need clear roles and agreements.
6
Evidence supports replication
Documented results, risks, and lessons help partners decide where and how to adapt the model.
Named public-sector voices
Recognition that helped strengthen confidence in the model.
“We have agreed to forge a strong vibrant partnership between the County Government, Mvita Constituency and Maji na Ufanisi… to create jobs for the youth using the Kongowea WASH model.”
Ali Hassan JohoThen Governor, Mombasa County
“I am glad to be associated with Maji na Ufanisi, the County Government of Mombasa and KOMAWASA youth, particularly through the achievement of winning this Award.”
Shiva Narain SinghThen Chief of WASH, UNICEF
“The County Government is pleased to be associated with a project that generates over Ksh 1,000,000 per month… and demonstrates job creation, economic empowerment and scholarships for persons with disabilities.”
Abdi Mohammed IbrahimThen County Executive for Trade and Energy, Mombasa
Adapting and replicating WASHEM
The model should be adapted to context—not copied blindly.
A successful scale-up requires the right public institution, secure land arrangements, realistic demand, inclusive design, financing, capable operators, accountability, and long-term maintenance planning.
Clear public need and user demand
County or public-entity commitment
Secure land and formal agreements
Realistic revenue and O&M plan
Community participation
Inclusive and safe design
Capable local operators
Monitoring and risk management
Responsible interpretation
How to read the figures on this page.
Programme-specific figures
The 60 facilities, 100+ jobs, and 30,000+ daily users relate to the documented Kongowea/Mombasa case.
Model-level learning
The three models, engagement steps, benefits, and sustainability pillars describe the wider WASHEM framework.
Replication requires due diligence
Results from one context should not be assumed elsewhere without assessment, adaptation, formal partnership, and realistic financing.
Partner on sustainable public WASH
Bring government, investment, community ownership, and practical WASH delivery together.
Maji na Ufanisi welcomes conversations with county governments, public institutions, funders, private-sector partners, researchers, and community organisations interested in adapting the WASHEM approach responsibly.