Experience and opportunities for commercial financing in Kenya's WASH sector

This paper highlights the process, successes, and challenges of commercial financing for WASH and identifies lessons for moving forward with continued commercial financing in Kenya. The paper is based on a review of the experience of the USAID’s Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA1) program which ran from 2010 to 2015, and which has been succeeded by the new USAID Water Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASHFIN) program designed to enhance access to commercial financing. The paper shows how commercial financing has and continues to build on accomplishments of the Kenyan government in advancing sector reforms in the context of devolution and decentralization.