Project has received Sh400 million in grants from the European Union

The truck filled to the brim with human waste trundles to the sewerage treatment plant where a crew eagerly waits for the noxious commodity, ready to convert it into briquettes that will be used to fuel jikos.

The ambitious project by the Nakuru Water Sewerage and Sanitation Company Limited (Nawassco and a Netherlands water company, Vitens-Evides, is providing an environment-friendly solution in addressing sanitation challenges as well as conserving trees.

The briquettes, fondly referred to by locals as makaa dot com, are made by adding sawdust to the human excrement. And their popularity has shot through the roof.

“Demand is high, far outstripping the current production of three tonnes a month. We receive orders of over four tonnes daily, a need that has pushed us to upscale production to 10 tonnes a day,” James Ng’ang’a, Nawassco managing director told The Standard.

The project, which has received Sh400 million in grants from the European Union as one of the innovative ideas that improve sanitation services, has grown in popularity following the logging moratorium and charcoal ban that is currently in place because it has shielded residents from the worst effects of the crippling charcoal shortage.

“A factory is ready and equipment has already been shipped ready for installation. Once done, we can be able to meet the demand and even supply to schools, factories and supermarkets,” Ng’ang’a said.

It also helps that a two-kilogramme packet of briquettes sells for Sh60 compared to Sh90 for charcoal of almost equal weight.

“This is what we call a circular economy, where human poop is turned into briquettes. To us, neither the poop nor the sawdust is waste. Through innovative ways, these waste materials are turned into briquettes that replace charcoal. The process also solves sanitation challenges,” Ng’ang’a said.

POULTRY FARMERS

The Nawassco MD revealed that apart from the traditional consumers of charcoal, who were scrambling for alternatives, a large number of their customers were poultry farmers, who said they observed lower mortality rates among their birds when they used the briquettes to heat the chicken houses.

The project has also played a major role in controlling the amount of waste being channeled into Lake Nakuru.

“Lake Nakuru is a Ramsar Site and it faces a lot of challenges due to pollution. This project will reduce the amount of waste channeling into the lake even after treatment since most of the waste is used as raw materials,” Ng’ang’a said.

But before the briquettes find their way into the kitchen, they have to undergo several processes to ensure they are free from disease-causing pathogens.

“The process has been approved by the National Environmental and Management Authority and the briquettes certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards,” the project site manager John Irungu said.

Irungu elaborated on the manufacturing process, saying after the human waste is received at the site, the raw sewage is emptied into drying beds, where excess water is left to evaporate for nearly three weeks, leaving behind a solid residue.

The residue is subsequently exposed to high temperatures to kill any living organisms.

Sawdust sourced from local saw millers is also heated up in a large pan – a process known as carbonisation. Thereafter, the two products are mixed in equal ratios and ground into a powder.

Diluted molasses is then added to act as a binding agent before the mixture is moulded into small round balls.

Mary Kerubo, a resident of Kivumbini, which neighbours the treatment plant, considers herself a lucky early adopter of the new comodity.

“As much as demand is high, we can always order ours directly at the site. It is very economical and we use very little compared to charcoal, which is even harder to source following the ban. I can use one packet of makaa dot com at least five times compared to charcoal, which I only use twice,” she said.

Reinilde Eppinga, a sanitation advisor with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, which is a partner in the briquette project, said only 27 per cent of Nakuru residents are connected to the town’s sewerage system, highlighting the need for a better way to dispose of the large quantities of human waste generated each day.