By Caroline Katana
VIDEO: Sewer water treatment
In Runyu village, Mikindani, Mombasa county, raw sewage once poisoned farms, spread disease, and choked mangroves. Today, a wastewater treatment plant is turning dirty water into a lifeline — proving that nature-based solutions can heal both people and the planet.
A Community’s Turnaround
“When I sold vegetables before, people would say, ‘These are dirty, they come from sewage water,’” recalls Pamela Achieng, a farmer in Mikindani’s Runyu village.
“Now, since the water is treated, customers come happily to buy. Even we eat our vegetables without fear. Before, people got sick from diarrhea, but today we are healthy and proud of our food.”
The change has been life-saving for Joseph Otieno Odera, a resident of Runyu for over twenty years.
“Back then, we used untreated sewage on our farms. Many of us fell sick. Most patients come from Mikindani Hospital. Today, with treated water piped to our farms, our crops are thriving and our children are safe. Even the bad smell that once hung over the village is gone,” she adds.
Their voices tell the story of a community once defined by disease and stigma, now reaping the benefits of an EU-funded wastewater treatment plant that has turned pollution into productivity.
Pamela Achieng at her vegetable plot
Sewage Crisis on the Coast
For years, raw sewage from more than 40,000 households in Mikindani and neighboring Bangladesh estate poured into open drains, farms, and the Indian Ocean.
Farmers had no choice but to irrigate with the contaminated water. Mangroves withered, fish populations declined, and locals were frequently struck by diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses.
“Untreated sewage was everywhere — in our fields, in our homes, in the sea,” says Vitalis Omondi, chair of the Runyu Community Development group. “This was not a place people wanted to live. Now, it has been transformed.”
A Nature-Based Solution
The turning point came with a KSh40 million wastewater treatment plant, the first of its kind on Kenya’s coast, built under the Go Blue Project — an initiative funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNEP and UN-Habitat, with technical support from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).
The plant operates as a constructed wetland, mimicking the natural filtration of marshes and swamps.
Waste water in Runyu village Mikindani
Waste water flows through a series of chambers filled with reeds, cattails, and vetiver grass. Microbes and plants naturally absorb and break down pollutants, while solids settle at the bottom.
The result is 150 cubic meters of clean water per day, safe for irrigation and harmless to the ocean.
“This system is simple but powerful,” says Job Nyaribo of the Mombasa Water and Supply. “No chemicals, no electricity — just plants and biology doing the work. It is cost-effective, sustainable, and community-friendly.”
Health, Dignity, and Green Farms
For farmers, the benefits are immediate. Crops once dismissed as dirty are now in high demand. Families that once spent money on hospital visits are enjoying better health.
“This plant has changed the face of Runyu,” says Omondi. “Where once there was sewage and shame, today we have green farms, clean water, and dignity. People from other estates now come here to buy vegetables.”
Maize grown using treated water
The improvement is not just social but economic.
Treated wastewater has revived small-scale farming, particularly for women who now manage flourishing vegetable plots. Produce is safer, markets are stronger, and incomes are more secure.
Protecting the Ocean
The impact extends beyond the village. By stopping untreated sewage from flowing into the ocean, the plant is helping restore coastal ecosystems. Mangroves that were once dying are regenerating, and fish stocks are rebounding.
“Untreated sewage was destroying marine life,” explains Dr. Joseph Kamau of KMFRI. “Now, wastewater that once harmed both humans and ecosystems is becoming a resource. Fishermen are catching healthier fish, and the ocean is cleaner.”
UNEP’s Vision
For UNEP, Mikindani is part of a broader mission to strengthen Kenya’s coastal resilience.
“This is one of the best examples of a nature-based solution. It is cost-effective, community-driven, and provides multiple benefits: cleaner water, healthier people, restored ecosystems, and stronger local economies. It shows how wastewater can become wealth,” says UNEP’s Chief of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Sinikinesh Beyene Jimma.
The Mikindani wetland builds on an earlier UNEP-supported project at Shimo la Tewa Prison, where a smaller constructed wetland was successfully implemented in 2023.
Unlike Shimo la Tewa, which is inside a prison, the Mikindani plant is accessible to the community — ensuring its benefits reach thousands of ordinary people.
Scaling Up Across Six Counties
The Mikindani wastewater plant is just one part of the Go Blue Project, which spans all six coastal counties — Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Tana River, and Taita Taveta.
The project combines land-sea planning, wastewater management, mangrove restoration, and sustainable livelihoods to build a resilient coastal economy.
Through partnerships with local governments, UNEP and UN-Habitat are working to ensure that communities along the coast can adapt to climate change, reduce pollution, and unlock opportunities in the blue economy.
Local Ownership, Global Lessons
To ensure sustainability, KMFRI and Mombasa County officials are training residents to operate and maintain the plant. The system requires minimal financial input, relying on natural processes rather than costly machinery.
“This is a project that runs itself,” notes Dr. Kamau. “It does not need electricity, it does not need expensive chemicals. It is a model that other communities in Africa — and beyond — can replicate.”
For the residents of Runyu, the change is already profound. Once stigmatized for dirty farms and unsafe food, the village is now a symbol of innovation and resilience.
From Pollution to Possibility
As the sun sets over Mikindani, Pamela gathers a bundle of kale for a waiting customer. She smiles as she reflects on the past.
“Before, people ran away from our vegetables,” she says. “Now they say they are the cleanest and best.”
What was once sewage and sickness is now health and hope — a reminder that with vision, partnership, and community, even the dirtiest water can be transformed into the foundation of a better future.
