SaniBook: Kenya’s Sh27 Billion Sanitation Drain Gets Digital Fix

Kenya is losing an estimated Sh27 billion every year—nearly one per cent of its GDP—to poor sanitation, a silent economic drain that experts say has remained dangerously overlooked.

While national debates focus on inflation, debt, and currency fluctuations, inadequate toilets, limited sewer coverage, and poorly coordinated off-grid solutions are quietly costing the country in healthcare, productivity, and infrastructure.

According to sector estimates, Sh4.3 billion is spent annually treating preventable waterborne diseases, while another Sh2.1 billion is lost to reduced productivity as workers and students miss days due to illness. Only 15 per cent of Kenyans are connected to sewer systems, leaving a potential Sh500 billion infrastructure gap to meet national sanitation targets.

“This is not just about toilets; it is about unlocking productivity, innovation, and inclusive growth,” said Elizabeth Mwangi, WaSHVoice Founding CEO and Programme Director.

To tackle this challenge, stakeholders in water, health, and technology sectors have launched SaniBook, a digital platform set to officially go live on January 22, 2026. The platform aims to map off-grid sanitation projects, provide real-time coordination, reduce duplication of interventions, and track outputs such as biogas and organic fertiliser, linking sanitation to Kenya’s emerging circular economy.

During its pilot phase, SaniBook identified seven critical bottlenecks slowing progress toward universal access to safely managed sanitation, and could help bridge the 72 per cent service gap currently leaving millions underserved.

For every Sh130 invested in improved sanitation, experts say Kenya gains Sh650 through healthcare savings, productivity, and environmental benefits—making sanitation one of the highest-return investments in the economy.

The SaniBook team is calling on NGOs, private innovators, government agencies, and research institutions to contribute data and join the platform. “Kenya cannot afford to keep its sanitation data in the dark,” the organisers said. “Every intervention mapped is a step toward smarter investment, national knowledge, and sustainable economic growth.”

As Kenya searches for new pathways to growth, SaniBook’s backers argue that turning sanitation from an economic drain into a digital, data-driven opportunity may be one of the country’s most overlooked solutions.