I so agree Fredrick - building dependency in any setting is always counter-productive and does distort markets.

If sanitation is "sold" as a valuable service, people will pay (as they do for their air time)

Thankx for the topic in nakawa division (kinawataka mbuya the same we need to weakup as citzens of this country to know the value of life and the enviroment thankx

I agree with Fredric idea, mobile latrines were used in Addis Ababa however due to absence of organized system for operation and maintenance almost all of them are not currently functional.When ever we introduce any sanitation technology for urban poor we should first be ready how they could be effectively managed other wise they all end up being a big nuisance for the community.

Dear All,
There is sufficient experience to demonstrate that free sanitation services do not last. In all cases where NGOs have put up free-to-use toilets in Kampala, failure of the projects has been the common theme. What we have learnt - and this could apply elsewhere -is that people prefer to pay a small fee (<$0.1) for a clean facility, than use a free, unhygienic/dirty toilet (please refer to attached Policy Briefs).

Besides the obvious case of promoting dependency, free sanitation products and services distort the market. The so-called poor people have mobile phones, and they are never short of airtime (Ugandans have an strong oral culture). Who provides the phone credits?

We should focus more on sanitation marketing and hygiene education with the ultimate objective of improvements along the sanitation chain, and do away with free/heavily subsidized interventions. The urban poor do not need empathy and charity, rather support/education to help them help themselves.

There are several sanitation projects running in Kampala with financiers ranging from European Development Banks (KfW, ADB, etc.) to AfDB to the EU Water Facility to BMGF, and the common objective is promotion of sustainable, market-based sanitation services. GIZ is closely working with both the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in two of the study-leading-to-investments projects, and the first results will be out in the second half of the year. We shall share the findings on this forum.

Best,
Fredrick

Toilets which are sponsored by for example CSR companies, placing their adverts on the toilet's structure will finance the purchase of the toilets. Besides, toilets which need minimal maintenance in terms of normal hygienic cleaning and extracting of the liquid fertilizer without the need of emptying the poo will pay for the operation and maintenance of the toilets, especially when the liquid fertilizer can be exchanged with money or commodities when selling to local farmers or back to the toilets' supplier.

I agree with Jnandawula. Free mobile toilets in urban slum areas sounds like a great idea. However who is going to pay for the Operation and Maintenance of the toilets? Once the toilets are full, they have to be emptied. Who will pay for that? and for the caretaker?

Maybe Fred you could shed some light here for us?

Best regards,

Doreen

I do not oppose to free mobile toilet, my main concern is that there must be a proper maintenance and operational plan to ensure that the toilets are clean and repaired on time. Otherwise, dirty toilets may be a source of disease and Kampala people are likely to opt for open defecation or use of containers and plastic bags if available toilets are filthy and in accessible.

Kampala being a capital city comprised of people of all calibers who lives in a disfranchised environment in four slum areas of Katanga, Mengo Kisenyi, Makerere Kivulu and Kiwunya. Many of these are low income earners or no income at all but they have to pay for toilet 300/= toilet fee for three times day. Some people don’t have the money yet there is need to help themselves, so they end up defecating in polyphony bags Know as Kavera and Urinating in empty mineral water bottles and dump them at night in trenched/water channels that get blocked during when it rains creating floods into their rooms. Hence, poor hygiene and sanitation for our children because they are predominately the most affected. I think this violet their rights because they have a right safe water, good hygiene and better sanitation