July 2025 Kokelo and Nyatigo Project Update
Water1st’s local partner, KWAHO, is leading the development of two separate piped water systems serving the communities of Kokelo and Nyatigo. Kokelo: Expanding Household Connections
Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO) and Community Asset Building and Development Action (CABDA)
2 large water systems serving 3600 people total are under construction in a multi-phase project.
Currently underway:
Of the 2 billion people on our planet who lack access to safe water at home, nearly half live in Africa. Based on that fact alone, we could not imagine a better place for us to invest our resources.
We’re also committed to our model of toilets and piped water at all homes, everywhere. We know from our metering data that only when water is piped home, do people use enough for important activities like handwashing. Although the United Nations has officially adopted household water service as one of the Sustainable Development Goals, investments in water flowing out of a faucet in African homes remain extremely rare.
With our expansion to two new partner organizations in Kenya, we will continue to show the world what is possible in African communities once the burden of water-fetching is in their past.
Baseline data:
Water1st’s local partner, KWAHO, is leading the development of two separate piped water systems serving the communities of Kokelo and Nyatigo. Kokelo: Expanding Household Connections
CABDA continues to expand the Emukoye project, extending service to additional villages. As of January 2025: 101 water connections completed in Phase 1 of the
Trenching moves forward swiftly in Musango and Mulwanda. The Emukoye project continues to progress smoothly. The water management committee is taking over the operation and
The water source for the Emukoye project is Emukoye spring. Work in 2023 focused on protecting the spring, diverting a portion of the flow into the water supply system, and creating a storage and distribution network
to serve the surrounding communities. Work in the first half of 2024 focused on connecting households to the water supply system, building
quality toilets at each household, and extending the water supply pipeline to the neighboring community of Mulwanda.
There are presently 100 households connected to the water supply system. Each household has a tap anchored in concrete to prevent
damage to the tap and pipes. Each connection is metered and meters have been protected in a concrete box located at the property line. 43 of the 100 households have begun constructing their toilets. Thirteen households have completed their septic pits and platforms (the floor of
the bathroom with the toilet and shower drain plumbed in), which is the portion of the toilet that is provided by the project. The property owner
funds the construction of the bathroom walls and roof.
CABDA also made a number of modifications to the water system in response to Water1st’s engineering analysis in January 2024. They added valves and valve boxes at every junction of the pipeline to allow maintenance staff to isolate areas when repairs need to be made. They
added clean out valves to the network. They conducted a pressure test to confirm the pipe joints are water tight. The goal is to construct a system that performs well for at least 50 years.
As they finalize the Phase 1 activities of the project, CABDA has initiated Phase 2 work. The community of Mulwanda has begun digging pipeline trench to extend the water supply lines to an additional 200 homes.
The Kokelo project is very similar to the Emukoye project. It also started
in 2023. Instead of a natural spring, the project utilizes a drilled well to
provide water to the system. A solar powered pump lifts the water to a large elevated storage tank at a high point in the community. A 6.3
kilometer network of water supply pipes carries the water throughout the community, providing everyone with the opportunity to establish
their own connection. A group of 20 households were identified as the most vulnerable in the community. Those households receive a fully grant subsidized water connection and a toilet that flushes to a septic pit.
Other households receive a partial subsidy for the water connection and toilet.
Since our January 2024 visit, KWAHO implemented a number of the technical recommendations that the Water1st provided. For example, a concrete chamber now encloses the wellhead and main meter, providing protection from the elements. The primary challenge for the project has
been digging pipeline trench in the upper sections of the water service area. The pipeline must pass though stretches of land that have large boulders and shallow bedrock formations. Digging to a depth of 3 feet has been very difficult. The community is making steady progress and
has completed one service line. The Water1st team was able to visit a number of households along the active service line to see households
that are finally enjoying water service on their own property. KWAHO and Water1st strategized techniques that will hasten the pipeline trenching work in extremely rocky conditions.
As Kokelo residents continue digging pipeline trench, KWAHO has begun organizing the community that will own and operate the second phase of
the project. The second phase will serve Nyatigo, a group of households that are located just outside the service area of the Kokelo project. KWAHO will construct an entirely new system to serve Nyatigo. A new
water committee has been established and households are registering to participate in the project. The next step is hiring the drilling contractor to identify the most promising locations to find groundwater and drilling for a water source that meets the needs of the target community with
respect to water quality and quantity.
Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO) is Kenya’s oldest non-profit organization focused on addressing the water, sanitation, and hygiene needs of Kenyan communities. KWAHO was founded in 1976 following the UN-Decade of Women conference in Mexico City addressing the needs of women around the world. The women’s delegation from Kenya made a presentation on a concept for providing easy access to safe water for Kenyan women. UNICEF decided to fund the project and the women from the delegation formed an implementation team. The work was so successful that the team decided to create an organization to replicate the outcomes throughout the country. Since that time, KWAHO has continued to implement projects that address the water and sanitation needs in Kenya, impacting over 3.5 million lives.
KWAHO is based in Nairobi, but they have projects throughout the country.
