What does it take for a water utility to put low-income communities at the centre of service delivery?
In Naivasha, Kenya, the answer is clear: strong leadership, long-term partnerships, flexible funding – and a relentless focus on equity.
WSUP’s new Topic Brief, Extending Water and Sanitation Services to the Low-Income Areas of Naivasha: A Case Study in Utility Leadership, explores how the Naivasha Water and Sanitation Company (NAIVAWASCO) has transformed its approach to serve the 80% of residents living in low-income areas (LIAs).
The publication, funded by The One Foundation, highlights what is possible when utility leadership, county government, national regulators, and development partners work together toward a shared goal: safe, affordable water and sanitation for all.
A utility with a pro-poor mandate
Unlike many utilities that prioritise high-income areas to secure revenue, NAIVAWASCO has made low-income communities central to its mission. Since 2005, the utility has grown from just 5,000 connections to 14,000 by 2025. Between 2017 and 2025 alone, water connections in LIAs increased more than fourfold, sewer connections more than doubled, and non-revenue water dropped significantly.
Under the leadership of the Managing Director, Eng. Nahashon Wahome, NAIVAWASCO, has embedded pro-poor service delivery into its Strategic Business Plan. A dedicated Pro-Poor Officer role, tailored marketing approaches, and a social connection policy have helped more than 2,500 low-income households connect to piped water through flexible payment mechanisms.
This transformation has not gone unnoticed. NAIVAWASCO rose from 32nd to 3rd place in Kenya’s national pro-poor performance index between 2021 and 2024.
Flexible funding driving practical solutions
Since 2017, The One Foundation has provided consistent and flexible funding – seven grants totalling £1.6 million – enabling NAIVAWASCO and WSUP to combine infrastructure investment with systems strengthening and behaviour change. This long-term support has delivered tangible results:
- Last-mile water pipe extensions have brought safe water to previously underserved areas such as Mirera, directly connecting 300 households and improving access for tens of thousands more.
- Simplified sewer systems (SSS) – a lower-cost, context-appropriate alternative to conventional sewers – have been installed across 5.7 km in low-income neighbourhoods, with 208 household connections to date and significant potential for scale.
- Behaviour change campaigns and emergency WASH responses, delivered in partnership with the Nakuru County Department of Public Health, have strengthened hygiene practices and protected vulnerable communities during flooding events.
Crucially, the simplified sewer pilots funded by The One Foundation have catalysed additional investment from the Nakuru County Government, demonstrating how targeted funding can unlock wider system change.
The installation of a simplified sewer system
Partnership across county and national levels
NAIVAWASCO is owned by the Nakuru County Government and works closely with the County Departments of Water and Public Health. At the national level, its work is guided by the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation (MoWSI) and regulated by the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB). With technical support from WSUP, NAIVAWASCO has:
- Developed a comprehensive sanitation roadmap aligned with its expanded mandate.
- Established a dedicated sanitation unit within the utility.
- Introduced a 5% sanitation levy on water bills to create a ringfenced fund for sanitation investment.
- Begun regulating small-scale private water providers to improve water quality and affordability.
At the same time, WSUP is supporting WASREB in the development of national pro-poor sanitation KPIs and collaborating with partners to elevate simplified sewer systems within national policy frameworks.
The collaboration between NAIVAWASCO, Nakuru County Government, WASREB, MoWSI and WSUP demonstrates how aligned leadership and governance can drive sustainable change.
Key lessons for other utilities
The Naivasha case reinforces several critical lessons for utilities seeking to expand services in low-income urban areas:
- Visionary, consistent leadership is foundational.
- Affordable, context-appropriate technologies – such as simplified sewer systems – are essential in dense, unplanned settlements.
- Financial mechanisms must make connections feasible for low-income households.
- Sanitation must be institutionalised within utility structures, not treated as an afterthought.
- Governance improvements require collaboration across all actors, from manual pit emptiers to national regulators and funders.
Looking ahead
NAIVAWASCO and WSUP have renewed their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding for 2024–2029, with continued support from The One Foundation. Over the next five years, the utility aims to:
- Expand sewer coverage from 16% to 40% of households.
- Scale up simplified sewer systems as the default model.
- Formalise and regulate small-scale water providers.
- Strengthen the on-site sanitation value chain.
- Establish a county-level WASH hub to improve data-driven planning.
As urban populations continue to grow across sub-Saharan Africa, Naivasha offers a compelling example of what can be achieved when a utility embraces its pro-poor mandate, and when partners provide the consistent, flexible support needed to make transformation possible.
Read the full Topic Brief:
Extending Water and Sanitation Services to the Low-Income Areas of Naivasha: A Case Study in Utility Leadership (February 2026).