Effect of Urban Informal Settlement Sanitation Improvement on Household Climate Change Adaptation: Evidence from Langas Ward, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Abstract
Climate change increasingly threatens sanitation systems in urban informal settlements, yet sanitation improvement remains an underexplored pathway for building household climate resilience. This study examined the effect of sanitation improvement on household climate change adaptation in Langas Ward, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, focusing on non-sewered toilet installation, hygiene training, institutional collaboration, and the moderating role of community participation. Anchored on the “How Tough is WASH” framework and Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a structured survey of 347 households (91.3% response rate) with 12 key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and hierarchical regression; qualitative data were analysed thematically. Non-sewered toilet installation emerged as the strongest predictor of adaptation (Beta = 0.487, p < 0.001), followed by hygiene training (Beta = 0.401, p < 0.001) and institutional collaboration (Beta = 0.389, p < 0.001), together with education and income as significant covariates. Community participation did not significantly moderate the sanitation–adaptation relationship (B = 0.089, p = 0.056), reflecting predominantly tokenistic participation. Qualitative findings showed that interventions strengthened resilience but were constrained by affordability, flood vulnerability, patchy training coverage, weak institutional coordination, and limited decision-making power for communities. The study concludes that sanitation improvement is an effective, though incomplete, strategy for climate adaptation in informal settlements and recommends flood-resilient sanitation design, strengthened inter-institutional coordination, climate-responsive hygiene education, and a shift from tokenistic to substantive community participation.
Keywords: Sanitation Improvement, Climate Change Adaptation, Informal Settlements, Non-Sewered Sanitation, Community Participation, Kenya
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