Progressive Utility Services - Aqua for All

Progressive Water Utility is a WSP in the outskirts of Nairobi. They have three boreholes, of which two are being used for commercial operations.  This application concerns one community served, a low-income area with mostly informal workers who have faced economic challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic and have therefore not been able to prioritise their utility bills. Prior to the pandemic, they were able to achieve upwards of 95% collections, which has now dropped to under 40% and costs the utility a lot of time in resources to try and collect. 

Although they do collect revenues from this community, the Utility also subsidises some costs for these connections and for the most marginalised members of the community as a type of CSR. That is why water prices have not increased despite increasing costs of electricity and fuel and why they have not shut off connections due to the non-payment. 

PWU has 214 connections in this area serving over 5000 users, currently on a post-paid monthly collection system. Prior to Covid-19, they were They would like to install pre-paid smart meters on these connections to allow customers to have more control over their finances and water usage. Users will be able to view their usage data and pay using mobile money. They have already begun to use these meters in the other area they serve, with good results and positive feedback from the customers.