Kenya Must Rethink Wastewater Management

Kenya's wastewater management challenges present an opportunity to rethink how we manage sanitation, protect our environment and create economic value from resources that are often treated as waste.

Recent concerns raised by stakeholders in the water, sanitation and irrigation sectors have brought attention to gaps in the country's legal and institutional frameworks, as well as weaknesses in existing wastewater treatment systems. Speaking at the second edition of the Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Conference on Friday, October 23, 2026, Alex Manayasi, Policy Engagement Manager at the African Population and Health Research Centre, highlighted the need to review the Water Act to adequately address on-site sanitation, which he noted is largely overlooked under the current legal framework.

These concerns point to a much bigger question: Are we approaching wastewater management in a way that fully addresses its environmental, social and economic potential?

At Mazilinda, we believe Kenya needs to move beyond conventional wastewater management approaches and begin embracing solutions that do more than collect, treat and dispose of wastewater. We need to start viewing wastewater as a resource that, when properly managed, can contribute to renewable energy generation, environmental restoration and improved community livelihoods.

Wastewater management is often approached primarily as a public health and environmental protection issue. While these are critical considerations, there is an opportunity to expand this thinking.

Wastewater, particularly sewage and organic waste, contains resources that can be recovered through appropriate treatment technologies. One such technology is anaerobic digestion, a biological process through which microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas and digestate.

Biogas can be used as a source of energy for cooking, heating and electricity generation, depending on the scale and configuration of the system. The resulting treated effluent, after appropriate treatment and quality verification, can also be put to productive use, including irrigation and environmental restoration.

This presents an opportunity to address multiple challenges through an integrated approach. Instead of treating wastewater solely as a disposal problem, we can develop systems that recover energy, support water reuse and contribute to a healthier environment.

One approach we believe deserves greater attention is the large-scale adoption of community-based wastewater biodigesters.

Rather than relying exclusively on centralised wastewater treatment infrastructure, Kenya could explore decentralised and appropriately sized biodigester systems serving residential estates, informal settlements, institutions and other communities.

These systems could be organised around community energy centres, where sewage and suitable organic waste are collected and processed through biodigesters. The biogas generated could then be utilised to provide affordable clean energy to surrounding communities, while the treated water could undergo further polishing where necessary before being used for appropriate non-potable purposes, particularly irrigation and tree planting.

Such an approach could offer several benefits.

Community biodigesters could provide additional sanitation infrastructure, particularly in underserved settlements where conventional sewerage networks are limited or unavailable. By establishing appropriately designed decentralised treatment systems, communities could benefit from improved wastewater management while reducing uncontrolled discharge into the environment.

The biogas produced through anaerobic digestion presents an opportunity to convert organic waste into a useful energy source. Community energy centres could supply biogas for cooking or generate electricity, depending on the available technology and energy demand.

This would contribute to diversifying local energy sources while reducing dependence on conventional fuels.

Water scarcity and land degradation remain significant environmental concerns. Properly treated and quality-tested wastewater could provide an alternative water source for activities such as tree planting, landscaping and other suitable irrigation applications.

At Mazilinda, we are particularly interested in exploring how treated biodigester water can support the establishment of trees, including nitrogen-fixing species such as Leucaena, on degraded land. These trees can contribute to improving soil conditions, supporting vegetation cover and restoring degraded landscapes.

This creates an interesting connection between sanitation, renewable energy, water conservation and ecosystem restoration.

Wastewater and organic waste recovery can also create economic opportunities along the value chain.

From waste collection and transportation to biodigester operations, maintenance, energy distribution and environmental restoration, these systems could support local employment and enterprise development.

Importantly, community-based models could create opportunities for waste pickers and other underserved groups to participate in resource recovery and benefit economically from activities that are often overlooked.

While the potential is significant, scaling up wastewater biodigesters will require more than technology. It will require a supportive policy environment, appropriate infrastructure, financing and effective institutional coordination.

The concerns raised by stakeholders regarding gaps in the Water Act highlight the importance of reviewing existing legislation to adequately address on-site sanitation and decentralised wastewater treatment systems.

Kenya needs clear guidelines on the design, construction, operation and monitoring of community-based treatment facilities. This should include standards for effluent quality, safe water reuse, environmental protection, sludge management and the responsibilities of different stakeholders.

There is also a need to establish financing mechanisms that encourage investment in decentralised sanitation infrastructure. Public-private partnerships, development finance, climate finance and community-based investment models could play an important role in supporting implementation.

Equally important is the need for public awareness and community participation. Communities should not simply be recipients of sanitation infrastructure; they should be involved in the planning, ownership and management of these systems.

Technology alone will not solve the problem. Successful implementation will depend on building systems that are technically sound, financially viable, environmentally responsible and socially accepted.

The larger opportunity for Kenya is to rethink how we approach sanitation and resource management.

A circular economy encourages us to move away from the traditional take, use and dispose model towards systems that recover and retain value from resources for as long as possible.

Wastewater management offers a practical entry point into this transition. By integrating wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion, renewable energy generation, water reuse and environmental restoration, we can begin developing systems where the output of one process becomes an input for another.

The treated water supports tree planting and the restoration of degraded land, while the operations create employment and income opportunities for local communities.

Such a model would not only address sanitation challenges but also contribute to climate action, environmental conservation, energy access and inclusive economic development.

This is the kind of integrated thinking that Kenya needs as it works towards sustainable development.

We believe the conversation on wastewater management should move beyond identifying legislative gaps and infrastructure challenges. It should also focus on the practical solutions that can help address them.

Government agencies, county governments, development partners, financial institutions, private sector players and communities need to work together to accelerate the adoption of innovative and decentralised wastewater treatment solutions.

Kenya has an opportunity to position wastewater management as part of its broader environmental and economic development agenda. However, this will require deliberate investment, policy reforms, innovation and a willingness to explore alternative approaches.

At Mazilinda, we believe that wastewater should not simply be something we collect, treat and discharge. It should be viewed as a resource with the potential to generate energy, support environmental restoration and improve livelihoods.

The opportunity before us is to build systems that do more than solve today's sanitation challenges. We should build systems that create value for communities and protect the environment for generations to come.