Fresh Life
In the densely populated informal settlements of Kenya and Zambia, where reliable access to water and power is a challenge, toilets are critically scarce. Without proper sanitation facilities, diarrheal diseases spread, students are deterred from attending school, and women and girls face risks leaving their homes after dark. Together with local communities, Fresh Life is expanding its network of innovative toilets in Nairobi, Kenya, and Lusaka, Zambia.
Fresh Life Toilets are installed by young locals employed by Fresh Life, and become shared facilities that are managed and maintained by local residents as small enterprises. Designed to operate without water or power, the toilets use a container-based dry technology to ensure that waste is securely contained, collected, transported, and treated & disposed of. Led by community need, Fresh Life Toilets are operating in residential areas, busy market centres and schools to improve hygiene and safety, resulting in higher school attendance rates. For more details about Fresh Life’s impactful work and technology, visit their website.
Personal stories /
Clean solutions transform Nairobi’s informal settlements
In Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo settlement, Penina Atieno has faced the stark realities of inadequate sanitation. As a landlord and mother, she watched her community struggle with overcrowded, unsafe communal latrines—a challenge made worse by rapid urbanisation and the absence of sewered infrastructure.
Determined to find a solution, Penina discovered Fresh Life in 2019. She acquired her first container-based, waterless toilet, creating a safer, cleaner environment for her family and tenants. Today, as a Fresh Life operator, she manages a pay-per-use toilet that serves her property and the wider community, addressing critical health and safety needs while generating income.
Fresh Life’s network now includes over 7,500 toilets across Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Lusaka, benefiting over 290,000 people daily.
By enabling entrepreneurs like Penina, it is turning the sanitation crisis into an opportunity for healthier, more resilient communities. Expansion plans to Mombasa by 2025 reflect Fresh Life’s drive to make safe sanitation universally accessible.