Fresh Life, Atoo Kakuma Partners to Scale Climate-Resilient Sanitation Across Turkana County
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 15 – Fresh Life Sanitation Services Ltd and Atoo Kakuma Usafi Company Ltd have entered into a strategic, long-term distributorship agreement to expand access to sustainable, market-led sanitation solutions across Turkana County targeting Kakuma Refugee Camp, the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and surrounding host communities.
Enabled by Swisscontact, the agreement formalizes Atoo Kakuma as a non-exclusive distributor of Fresh Life’s Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDTs) a water-efficient, climate-resilient sanitation solution suited for arid and semi-arid regions.
While the partnership has been catalysed through Swisscontact’s Climate Proofing WASH Services (CP WASH) Project, implemented in partnership with Plan International Kenya, Watermission and APAD the partnership represents a private-sector-led solution to WASH service delivery in fragile contexts like Kakuma, designed to operate as a sustainable local market and continue well beyond donor-funded project cycles.
Kenya’s transition toward refugee inclusion, self-reliance and private sector-led service delivery under the Shirika Plan provides the national context for the partnership.
Jimmy Delyon, Team Lead at Swisscontact said what began as an ambition to introduce a private-sector-led sanitation model in Kakuma has now evolved into a proof point that sustainable, market-driven solutions can work in fragile and refugee-hosting contexts.
“This agreement demonstrates that sanitation can move beyond short-term humanitarian delivery to become a viable local business that addresses public health, dignity, and economic inclusion at scale”, stated Jimmy Delyon.
Turkana West Sub-County has faced a prolonged sanitation crisis, Until recently the area had only one public toilet serving thousands of Turkana West Sub-County, risking widespread open defecation, health risks, and loss of dignity.
Additionally, the Fresh Life-Atoo partnership facilitated by Swisscontact addresses this challenge by expanding pay-for-use UDDTs in public spaces and high-density.
“This partnership marks a defining milestone in Atoo’s evolution from a community-based youth initiative into a professionally run sanitation enterprise,” said Moses Eyaran, CEO of Atoo Kakuma Usafi Company Ltd.
“We began at a very small scale, and through Swisscontact’s support, our potential was recognised and strengthened, opening the door to a commercial partnership with Fresh Life that validates local enterprise in refugee-hosting contexts.”
“Through this collaboration, we have built critical operational capacity; particularly in logistics, coordination, waste collection and sanitation centre management”.
“These capabilities position us to deliver services more efficiently, expand our reach, and scale a locally led sanitation business that can operate sustainably over the long term in Kakuma and beyond”, He added.
Since implementation under the CP WASH initiative began less than a year ago, 57 UDDTs have been installed across Kakuma town, enabling job creation and new income streams.
Further, Thirty-seven local entrepreneurs are now engaged in installation, servicing, management, and waste transport, while 45 young people are employed in briquette production and marketing.
More than 200 women earn income supplying Mathenge (Prosopis) biomass used in briquette production.
Waste collected from the UDDTs is transported by Kalobeyei Water and Sanitation Company (Kalwasco) to Sanivation Ltd, where it is treated and converted into eco-friendly fuel briquettes, creating a structured circular economy with environmental and economic benefits.
The partnership demonstrates how sanitation solutions can be adapted for contexts without conventional sewer infrastructure.
“As we expand, we have to recognise that many areas in Kenya do not have sewer lines, This partnership allows us to replicate the Fresh Life model in such contexts while supporting a strong local enterprise”, Said Angela Nzioki, Head of Strategy at Fresh Life.
“There are many lessons that can be applied in Kakuma and we are committed to supporting Atoo as the team continues to grow”, added Ms Nzioki.
Subsequently, By embedding sanitation within a commercially viable market system, the Fresh Life-Atoo partnership demonstrates how refugee-hosting regions can transition from humanitarian-led WASH services to sustainable private-sector delivery models.
The framework provides a scalable model for other arid and refugee-hosting counties, supporting national goals on inclusion, climate resilience, and economic self-reliance.
