Kenya

Project Leads: Deena Kojiem and Seamus Burke

Background

Kolunje, Kenya is a community comprised of about 9,000 people who historically relied on seasonal and unsafe water supplies such as hand-dug wells and intermittent streams. Since 2018, the community has had access to a well drilled by EWB Rutgers at the Magwar Model School. However, the well is at a single location on private property, and water collectors, most often women and children, still must spend hours of their day collecting water for their families’ needs.

To alleviate some of the pressures on these populations, the project’s current goal is to design and install a public water kiosk that would allow community members to have more reliable access to potable water. We will also assess the possibility of piping water to the nearby hospital and schools to improve sanitation.

Game Plan

First Assessment	Data on water sources and other landmarks were collected in order to create a sitemap.
Second Assessment	EWB-USA Rutgers is to drill a test well to better understand the groundwater conditions in Kolunje
Follow up	Close collaboration with ECODS secures our project a valued partner in education and on the ground support. This will increase the longevity of the project.
2013 Assessment	The planned borehole was drilled, but was not water bearing. After careful re-assessment and surveying, the team and community members decided to shift the focus of the project to rainwater catchment at the Miranga secondary school, primary school, and Lunga primary school.
First Implementation	The initial plan for a borehole was not sustainable due to absence of water bearing capacity. This led to the installment of the rainwater catchment system at local schools, both primary and secondary, to redress the community’s limited water accessibility. Second Implementation Trip The well was built which improved the health and hygiene of community members in Kolunje. The addition of a hand or electric pump is being considered to supply water to more people.
Third Implementation	A water tower was built at the Magwar Model Secondary School in order to store more water for the community. The water tower supplies three kiosks located at a local shopping center and two schools, providing convenient water access. Additionally, the electric pump previously considered was implemented and is now under discussion for it to be powered by solar energy.
Moving Forward	The project’s goals for 2026-27 and beyond are to continue monitoring the system and evaluate how well it meets community needs. If it seems like there is a desire for more infrastructure to be built, we will move into an assessment phase where we can decide what infrastructure may be necessary.

The Kenya team will begin working on a design for a kiosk to be built close to the Magwar Primary School. The design and construction of the kiosk will provide a more secure and easy way for individuals within the community to have access to filtered water supplied by the existing well. During this semester, we will focus on designing the kiosk on AutoCAD and then begin to conceptualize a water distribution system for the community to have further access.