Access to improved sanitation facilities in low-income informal settlements of East African cities

Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly beyond the capacity and the resources of the cities to accommodate the people. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These areas present unique challenges to the provision of sanitation, and there is inadequate information on access to improved facilities. This paper reports findings of a study undertaken in low-income informal settlements using mixed methods to assess access to sanitation and identify the barriers to household improved sanitation facilities. Although more than half (59.7%) of the respondents reported using sanitation facilities that are included in the JMP definition of improved sanitation, a high proportion of these facilities did not provide “ access to basic sanitation” and less than 5% of all the respondents did not report issues related to sustainable access to basic sanitation. The findings highlight the urgent need to develop a more specific and strategic interventions for each low-income informal settlement, to upscale the sustainable access and use of improved sanitation in urban centres.