PROJECTS
Mombasa County Infrastructure Plan, Kenya
The problem
MOWASCO, the water utility serving Mombasa, only supplied water for fours hours a day on average, and only served 10 percent of the city’s inhabitants. There was a plan to increase water supply by building a big new dam, but it was feared that, given the poor state of MOWASCO’s network, much of the water would just leak away. Moreover, MOWASCO seemed unlikely to be able to generate the revenue needed to pay for water from the new dam.
How we helped
We developed an institutional structure and business plan to enable MOWASCO to deliver safe and reliable services. To do this, we developed and costed plans to expand water and sewerage networks and treatment plants. We identified key interventions to improve performance and ensure financial sustainability, and recommended improved governance and management structures, along with incentivized public management and public-private partnerships.
Impact
Mombasa County selected a preferred institutional structure for MOWASCO that would provide the right balance of autonomy, accountability, and incentives. MOWASCO has partnered with Kenya’s Coast Water Services Board and Coast Development Authority to develop the Mwache dam.
Our team
Find out more
- The financial data developed by Castalia for MOSWACO’s business plan was subsequently used for the report Providing Water to Poor People in African Cities Effectively: Lessons from Utility Reforms (World Bank, August 2016) to analyze how MOWASCO could generate free cash flow from operations if it achieved efficient performance targets.
How can we help you?
How can we help you?
WASHINGTON, DC
+1 (202) 466-6790
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1200
United States of America
SYDNEY
+61 (2) 9231 6862
Suite 19.01, Level 19, 227 Elizabeth Street
Australia
AUCKLAND
+64 (4) 913 2800
Sinclair House, 3 Glenside Crescent
New Zealand
WELLINGTON
+64 (4) 913 2800
Level 2, 88 The Terrace
New Zealand
PARIS
+33 (0)1 85 64 10 22
3B Rue Taylor
France
BOGOTÁ
+57 (1) 508 5794
Calle 81 #11-08, Piso 5, Oficina 5-121
Colombia
Thinking for a better world.

WASHINGTON, DC
+1 (202) 466-6790
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1200
United States of America
SYDNEY
+61 (2) 9231 6862
Suite 19.01, Level 19, 227 Elizabeth Street
Australia
AUCKLAND
+64 (4) 913 2800
74D France Street, Newton South
New Zealand
WELLINGTON
+64 (4) 913 2800
Level 2, 88 The Terrace
New Zealand
PARIS
+33 (1) 73 44 26 97
6 Rue Duret
France
BOGOTÁ
+57 (1) 508 5794
Calle 81 #11-08, Piso 5, Oficina 5-127
Colombia
Thinking for a better world.
