This is a national summary of the Citizen’s Report Card (CRC) on water, sanitation and solid waste (i.e. rubbish) services undertaken in Kenya’s three largest cities - Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu in September and October 2006.
CRCs are a tool providing service providers and policy makers with feedback from citizens1. These CRCs were undertaken by a representative group of stakeholders in each city and individual city reports have been prepared alongside the national summary.
CRCs gauge both citizens’ access to and satisfaction with services. They point out areas where service providers are succeeding and areas that need improvement. When prepared regularly, CRCs may be used as a combined advocacy/benchmarking tool.
The information provided in a CRC may be helpful to utility managers in strategic planning; to policy makers in guiding the sector; to regulatory bodies in sector oversight; to investors in deciding where to channel funds; and to civil society representing an objective measure of public perception. Most importantly, CRCs are useful for citizens who generally lack the information conducive to meaningful dialogue.
The CRC is the experience of citizens as told by citizens. It is not a technical sector overview written for specialist audiences and does not include figures from the service providers such as volume of water produced or number of households served. It is meant to guide recommendations but does not in itself provide the solutions.
