Inside Kibra and Mathare’s Sanitation Crisis and the NYS Toilet Promise That Failed

A decade after the National Youth Service (NYS) promised sanitation in Kibra, residents are still using unfinished public toilets, exposing a gap between government pledges and daily reality in Nairobi’s informal settlements.

In 2014, the government announced plans to build 180 public toilets in Kibra under the NYS slum sanitation programme, yet ten years later, unsafe and incomplete blocks remain in use.

In Mathare, the picture is even harder to trace. There is no reliable public record showing how many toilets were built there by NYS in 2014. Independent studies from the same period estimate about 140 to 150 public or shared toilets, but those figures include facilities built by NGOs, social enterprises, residents, and other actors, making it difficult to isolate what NYS delivered and what it failed to complete.

Those numbers on paper translate into daily risk on the ground, where residents like Elizabeth Atieno are forced to depend on NYS toilets that were counted as built but left unfinished and unsafe.

Elizabeth, 40, was born in Siaya County and has lived in Kibra for 21 years. She lost her sight five years ago and now relies on a toilet block built under the NYS slum-upgrading program. The structure was never completed. It lacks key safety features, yet it remains the closest option to her house.

Her visual impairment increases the risk of injury and illness, but there is no alternative facility within safe reach.

For other residents, cost and access determine whether sanitation is available at all. Janet Kwamboka, a resident of Silanga village, cannot afford the KSh 10 charged per toilet visit. She pays KSh 300 per month for daytime access only. At night, most toilets close by 9 p.m., leaving households without safe options.

The lack of 24-hour access has sustained the use of flying toilets, where human waste is tied in plastic bags and discarded in drainage trenches, open spaces, and rooftops. While the practice, according to residents we talked to,  has declined in some areas, it remains common where toilets have broken down or water is unavailable.

Insecurity further restricts access. Mellisa, a resident of Laini Saba, said her son was attacked while trying to reach a toilet at night.

“This fear keeps many families indoors after dark, especially women and children,” she said.

Toilets Built, Then Abandoned

In 2014, the government launched sanitation and infrastructure projects in Kibra and Mathare under the revitalised National Youth Service. Youth were engaged to build toilets, ablution blocks, and drainage systems across villages, including Gatwekera, Laini Saba, Lindi, Silanga, Kianda, Makina, and Soweto.

The expectation was that these facilities would reduce open defecation and improve hygiene. That outcome did not last.

Pamoja FM has established that when NYS activities slowed, management of the toilets shifted to community youth groups and private individuals without clear oversight or sustained funding. Maintenance became irregular with water shortages increasing.

An unfinished NYS public toilet in Kibra, showing broken fittings, poor drainage, and missing safety features, is one of many facilities counted as built but left unsafe for daily use.

Shuma Newton, a Kibra resident, described intervening after one toilet block was abandoned and vandalised.

“I used my own resources to repair it after doors and fittings were stolen,” he said.

With no public funding for upkeep, caretakers charge between KSh 5 and KSh 10 per visit to cover cleaning and water costs. For families that use toilets multiple times a day, the fees accumulate into a daily burden.

John Ndile, the Laini Saba Member of County Assembly, acknowledged the strain on sanitation services.

“Since 2022, his ward has not received funding for water and sanitation improvements,” he said.

He said public participation forums often prioritise roads over sanitation, shaping how limited resources are allocated.

Mathare presents an even sharper failure, with our investigation revealing that only one NYS-built toilet block in Mathare is currently operational. The rest remain nonfunctional.

Many structures stand as cement shells without water, doors, or sewage connections. Others were built but never opened due to missing components and a lack of follow-up. Mathare, home to more than 200,000 residents, was included in the NYS slum-upgrading plan and the Mathare Zonal Plan developed around 2013. Large sections of that plan were never implemented after NYS programs were halted midstream.

Some incomplete toilets were vandalised or converted into storage spaces. Functional facilities charge fees that many residents cannot afford, pushing households back to unsafe pit latrines and open defecation.

George Ouma, a youth leader in Mathare, said young people stepped in to complete one abandoned block.

“We finished it so people would not queue for hours or relieve themselves in the open,” he said.

The Nairobi City County 2024/2025 financial report indicates that more than 62 per cent of households in Kibra lack access to improved sanitation, while over 70 per cent depend on shared or informal toilets. These figures persist despite repeated government and non-governmental interventions.

 Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a non-governmental organisation in Kenya headquartered in Kibra,  has managed to repair damaged toilets, restore water connections, and support hygiene management in villages such as Laini Saba, Gatwekera, and Makina.

“We stepped in after seeing how poor the conditions were,” said Felix Nyauma from SHOFCO’s WASH department.

But Health facilities in Kibra are already seeing the impact of poor sanitation, with women and girls affected the most.

“At least one woman or girl in every group of five presents with a urinary tract infection,” said Lilian Achieng, a clinician at Ushirika Medical Clinic.

Lillian Speaking 

She said women and girls account for 70 per cent of patients treated weekly for sanitation-related infections.

County health promoter Judith Shitabule said the crisis reflects systemic gaps.

“Without securing water, supporting community management, and enforcing county oversight, these settlements will continue facing preventable sanitation crises,” she said.