DOMESTIC WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN SATELLITE TOWNS AROUND NAIROBI CITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MLOLONGO AND RUIRU IN KENYA

Management of domestic wastewater has a direct impact on the environmental health of urban dwellers and the general physical condition of an urban settlement. This paper analyses domestic wastewater management in Mlolongo and Ruiru towns in Kenya. The methodology applied for the study was by survey through observation of wastewater systems in the neighbourhood, and interviews of home owners and tenants, and selected key County Government informants. The study revealed Mlolongo relied entirely on decentralized systems while Ruiru had a hybrid system consisting of pockets with centralized system but the larger areas relying on decentralized systems. The study revealed that 98% of the residents in Mlolongo rely on septic tanks, conservancy pits, and pit latrines while 48% of residents in Ruiru depend on septic tanks and communal toilets for their domestic wastewater management. The domestic wastewater systems were rated to be very poor by over 50% of the residentswith little or no participation by the residents in their management. The study demonstrated that the decentralized wastewater systems covered the entire satellite towns under study. 68% of residents in Mlolongo and 48% of the residents in Ruiru share their wastewater collection facilities with more than 15 persons. On sustainability, the study revealed low score from managerial, organizational, environmental, planning, and financial perspective. A sustainable model of managing domestic wastewater in satellite towns has been developed that aims at recognizing the need of recovering resources from the domestic wastewater while minimizing the user costs.