Bio Latrines in Kenyan Slums

Marlies sends us a bunch of pictures and an interesting story on how bio gas toilets in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya are being used:

Just the other day on a visit to Kibera Slum I came across this interesting bio gas latrine which is being set up for Kibera people as a response to lacking community toilets. The sanitation situation in Kibera is really really poor! There are a couple of community toilets which where set up after the shooting of the Constant Gardener but only a few years later these are in bad shape! Again, they cost 3/= per visit which is really above of what a typical Kibera inhabitant can afford. Just sum up what it will cost for 5 visits per day for a family of five! So the bio gas latrine is a really good option, since it will generate a little income to make the toilets free of charge.

Here are some pictures:

Kibera bio gas
Kibera Bio Gas Building
Kibera Bio Gas 2

IslamOnline.net has a great writeup on how these work.

[NOTE: If you have any images, stories or reports you’d like others to know about, you can contact us through the AfriGadget contact form. – Thanks Marlies!]

New images! (July 17, 2007). Thanks to Christian Rieck and Marlies:


Bio Latrine - Kibera

Bio Latrine Tower

Author: Erik Hersman

Erik is the owner of White African, a blog about technology and Africa. He is the co-founder of Zangu, a new web and mobile phone application that he hopes will change communication in Africa. AfriGadget is another web project of his, not that he doesn't have enough of those already...

31 thoughts on “Bio Latrines in Kenyan Slums”

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  6. Excellent – I’ve been looking for info on biodigesters using human waste. It’s such a huge resource that should be treated as an opportunity, not as a problem.

    I’d love to know more so I can add it to the resource at Appropedia – or even better, have the people involved in it add it directly to Appropedia’s sanitation page (or make a new page).

    How is this design for cost-effectiveness? Is it subsidized? Whose initiative was it?

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