Donor assistance towards self-sustainability

Traditionally foreign donors have considered that their contribution to the improvement of water and sanitation services in developing countries should consist of funding large capital-intensive projects. In doing so little regard is often taken of the poor standards of operation and maintenance prevailing in the country. In the Kenyan context the German Development Bank, Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW), on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, has invested some US$ 350 million in water and sanitation infrastructure in recent years. This investment has been confined to the urban sector and used for the augmentation of water supply schemes and the construction and improvement of sanitation facilities. It soon became apparent, from experience gained with these newly-constructed schemes, that if this investment was to be self-sustainable, improvements would have to be made in the way the schemes were managed and operated by their owners, the Local Authorities.