Determinants of quality of shared sanitation facilities in informal settlements : case study of Kisumu, Kenya
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: Shared facilities are not recognised as improved sanitation due to challenges of maintenance as
they easily can be avenues for the spread of diseases. Thus there is need to evaluate the quality of shared facilities,
especially in informal settlements, where they are commonly used. A shared facility can be equated to a common
good whose management depends on the users. If users do not work collectively towards keeping the facility
clean, it is likely that the quality may depreciate due to lack of maintenance. This study examined the quality of
shared sanitation facilities and used the common pool resource (CPR) management principles to examine the
determinants of shared sanitation quality in the informal settlements of Kisumu, Kenya.
Methods: Using a multiple case study design, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods.
In both phases, users of shared sanitation facilities were interviewed, while shared sanitation facilities were
inspected. Shared sanitation quality was a score which was the dependent variable in a regression analysis.
Interviews during the qualitative stage were aimed at understanding management practices of shared sanitation
users. Qualitative data was analysed thematically by following the CPR principles.
Results: Shared facilities, most of which were dirty, were shared by an average of eight households, and their
quality decreased with an increase in the number of households sharing. The effect of numbers on quality is
explained by behaviour reflected in the CPR principles, as it was easier to define boundaries of shared facilities
when there were fewer users who cooperated towards improving their shared sanitation facility. Other factors,
such as defined management systems, cooperation, collective decision making, and social norms, also played a
role in influencing the behaviour of users towards keeping shared facilities clean and functional.
Conclusion: Apart from hardware factors, quality of shared sanitation is largely due to group behaviour of users.
The CPR principles form a crucial lens through which the dynamics of shared sanitation facilities in informal
settlements can be understood. Development and policy efforts should incorporate group behaviour as they
determine the quality of shared sanitation facilities.
Description
CITATION: Simiyu, S., et al. 2017.Determinants of quality of shared sanitation facilities in informal settlements: case study of Kisumu, Kenya. BMC Public Health, 17:68, doi:10.1186/s12889-016-4009-6.
The original publication is available at http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
The original publication is available at http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
Keywords
Sanitation, Rural -- Standards, Sanitation, Rural -- Health aspects, Squatter settlements -- Kisumu (Kenya)
Citation
Simiyu, S., et al. 2017.Determinants of quality of shared sanitation facilities in informal settlements: case study of Kisumu, Kenya. BMC Public Health, 17:68, doi:10.1186/s12889-016-4009-6.