Some women who can’t afford water are often pressured to provide sex for it
Water Scarcity Fuels Sexual Exploitation for Women in Nairobi's Slums
Ecorescuezone.com – Before the first customers arrive at her modest establishment, Saly Amutwayi carefully unlocks the entrance to her hair salon. The interior walls display a weathered blue hue, adorned with posters showcasing braided hairstyles whose corners have begun to curl with age.
This intimate business sits within Kibera, recognized as the largest slum across the African continent. Located merely a few miles from central Nairobi—Kenya's capital and most populous urban center—the salon serves as a sanctuary for local residents.
The Daily Water Journey
Amutwayi shares quiet conversations with her companion Mariam Hassan before their workday begins. Both women carry the responsibility of gathering water for their families, a demanding chore that frequently consumes several hours daily. More significantly, each has personally endured sexual violence during their water collection efforts.
When there is no water, everything becomes dangerous.
Within Kenya's informal settlements—densely packed neighborhoods where inhabitants lack legal ownership of their land and the government has neglected to install formal infrastructure such as piped water systems—private vendors maintain control over water distribution and pricing. According to human rights organizations, this reliance has fostered environments where women unable to afford water encounter harassment, physical assault, or coercion. One particularly troubling practice involves women being pressured to exchange sexual favors for water, commonly referred to as sextortion.
Following over ten years of persistent advocacy by Kenyan water-sector organizations, this critical issue finally reached Parliament in 2024. Lawmakers addressed the matter for the first time, marking what campaigners characterize as a significant breakthrough for a form of gender-based violence that had remained largely unaddressed for generations.
Systemic Challenges in Water Access
Kenya's Constitution explicitly guarantees every citizen access to clean and safe water. However, in Kibera, public water pipes seldom extend to individual households. Residents must purchase water by the jerrycan—yellow plastic containers holding approximately a quarter-gallon—from kiosks, street carts, or storage tanks. These prices fluctuate considerably and can place substantial strain on household budgets.
Water becomes increasingly scarce and costly during shortages, which have grown more frequent amid prolonged drought conditions. Women who have experienced sexual violence while attempting to obtain water, along with the advocates supporting them, note that the risk of harassment and sexual violence escalates during these periods.
During one such shortage, Amutwayi visited a street vendor point to purchase water but lacked sufficient funds to cover the complete price. She recounts that three male vendors began making remarks about her appearance before attempting to compel her into a nearby alleyway. After she screamed for help, neighbors intervened to protect her.
Amutwayi chose not to report the incident to police. The individuals who assisted her advised her to let it pass, reasoning that since nothing ultimately occurred, there was no case to file. Nobody here has been held to justice, she reflects.
Voices of Survivors
Hassan shares a comparable experience. A man at the water line offered to escort her to a location with shorter queues. She followed him, only to discover he was leading her to his residence instead. Once inside, he attempted to rape her. She managed to escape after neighbors heard her cries for help.
I only told my brother. I feared sharing it with my mother.
Both women acknowledge that this fear persists in their daily lives. Local organizations confirm that such accounts are far from unusual.
The Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network, known as KEWASNET, operates a program called Stop Sex for Water. Since its launch in 2014, this initiative has supported survivors and documented abuse connected to water access within informal settlements. Staff members report receiving numerous accounts of sexual harassment, attempted rape, and coercion related to water collection.
In many instances, advocates explain, women unable to afford water face pressure to provide sex instead. Sextortion thrives where services are scarce and accountability is weak, observes Joan Kones, a project lead at KEWASNET. Water is a basic need. When access depends on informal systems, people become vulnerable to exploitation.
Malesi Shivaji, CEO of KEWASNET, notes that numerous survivors refrain from reporting abuse to police. In interviews, women and their advocates cited fear of retaliation, social stigma, and a pervasive belief that authorities will not take action. Shivaji explains that water-related sex crimes are part of the culture of survival in Kibera. It is so normalized that even survivors say they will be perceived as villains if they talk about what happened to them.
Judith Shitabule, a community health promoter working with survivors of gender-based violence in Kibera, adds her perspective to this growing movement for justice and recognition.
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