Shiraha Fresh Water

Safe, affordable water for Kakamega County

Prepaid smart water meters for a financially sustainable, community-owned water service — built solar-first, priced for rural households, and run by the people it serves.

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Simeon Khakata, Proprietor Butere Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya 2026
The Challenge

Clean water shouldn't be this hard to reach

Water scarcity & contamination

Severe deficits in safe drinking-water infrastructure across Kakamega County force households onto untreated rivers, streams and open wells.

Health & economic toll

Waterborne disease from untreated sources drives costly medical bills and lost income for already vulnerable families.

Stolen time, stolen futures

Women and children spend hours every day walking to fetch water — time taken directly from school and from earning a living.

A grandmother and children collecting clean water from a household tap connection in Butere Sub-County
Who We Are

A social enterprise on a mission for water justice

Shiraha Fresh Water Services Limited is a socially-driven service provider delivering safe water, sanitation, hygiene and digital-health solutions to underserved communities in Butere Sub-County, Kakamega County — advancing Kenya's Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Integrity

Transparency and ethics in every operation.

Sustainability

Protecting natural resources for tomorrow.

Community-Centric

Local needs and partnership, always first.

Quality Assurance

Every drop meets health & safety standards.

Where We Work

Proven reach in Butere Sub-County, today

Our network is centered on Marama North Ward, delivering piped, treated water to five villages — with room built in to grow.

5
Villages served
110
Households connected
~700
People with safe water
10 km
Distribution network
Shiraha Emulindi Eshirakalu Shiasa Emupongo
Map of the Shiraha Fresh Water project coverage area within Marama North Ward, Butere Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya, showing the borehole site, project coverage radius, major roads and rivers

Project coverage — Marama North Ward, Butere Sub-County.

Solar-powered elevated water storage tanks among trees at a Shiraha Fresh Water distribution point
Our Solution

Decentralized, solar-powered, built to last

Solar-powered extraction & treatment

Reliable, clean-energy sourcing replaces erratic and untreated supply — lowering both health risk and running costs.

Last-mile access for every household

Direct piped household connections combined with community water kiosks close the final gap to safe water.

Affordable, flexible payment

Payment models purpose-built for low-income rural households keep service genuinely within reach.

What We Do

Two service lines, built around real community needs

Piped water distribution

Direct infrastructure supplying piped, treated drinking water to households, schools and health facilities across our coverage area.

Bottled water services

Packaged clean drinking water serving local commercial outlets and community events — a second, resilient revenue stream.

Who We Serve

Households (B2C)

Rural & peri-urban families in Butere and Khwisero.

Institutions (B2G/B2C)

Primary & secondary schools, dispensaries, clinics.

Public & commercial hubs

Decentralized kiosks serving dense community centers.

Grant Request

Our ask: fund the shift to prepaid smart water metering

Delayed customer payments under our current postpaid system strain cash flow and limit our ability to cover electricity and repairs. We are seeking grant support — in partnership with smart-metering providers such as Ubuntu Africa — to transition our entire network to prepaid, smart-metered service.

1 · Predictable revenue & cash flow

Eliminates late payments, debt accumulation and costly disconnections tied to postpaid billing.

2 · Targeted subsidies for the vulnerable

Frees Shiraha to set fair, equitable terms and protect low-income households from service loss.

3 · Smarter consumption, less waste

Real-time usage data lets families track and manage consumption — fueling long-term conservation.

The Impact

The ripple effect of reliable, prepaid water

SDG 6.1 alignment

Guaranteed, round-the-clock access to safely managed, pathogen-free drinking water.

Time given back

Average daily water-collection time cut to under 15 minutes per household.

Healthier communities

Fewer waterborne illnesses mean lower medical costs and stronger household resilience.

Safer futures for girls

Less travel to unsafe water sources means more time in school and greater personal safety.

A Shiraha field team member with a family filling a jerry can at a household water connection
How We Operate

Inclusive by design, sustainable by practice

Inclusion

44.4%
Female workforce
100%
Local representation

A dedicated female staff member leads customer support for smart-meter users. People with disabilities and the most vulnerable households receive prioritized, subsidized access.

Sustainability

Solar-powered operations

Moving toward 100% solar-powered extraction & treatment.

Conservation-minded community

Continuous education on sustainable water use and demand.

Licensed & first to serve

Fully permitted by Kakamega County; no direct local competitor.

The Road Ahead

Scaling impact over the next 3–5 years

01 · Reach

Household growth

Expand piped connections from 110 to 600+ households.

02 · Reach

Kiosk network

Reach ~1,000 additional people through community kiosks.

03 · Growth

Geographic expansion

Extend operations into Khwisero Sub-County.

04 · Infrastructure

Technology upgrade

100% solar power plus network-wide prepaid smart metering.

Two Shiraha customers standing beside their household water meter and running tap
Governance

A lean, locally-rooted team

Our leadership blends strategic oversight with deep, day-to-day community roots — keeping decisions close to the people we serve.

DirectorStrategic oversight
Project ManagerPlanning & implementation
Operations ManagerLogistics & resources
Field Officers (2)Community liaison
Community Reps (4)Local representation
44.4%
Female employees
100%
Local representation
“Every connection is a family freed from the walk, the wait and the worry.”
Shiraha Fresh Water Services · Butere Sub-County, Kakamega
Community member filling a jerry can at a Shiraha water point
Customers beside their household water meter
A grandmother and children at a household tap
Partner With Us

Let's bring safe water within reach — together

We are seeking grant funding and technical partnership from Aqua for All to accelerate our prepaid smart-metering rollout and expand safe, affordable water access across Kakamega County.

Simeon Khakata

Proprietor, Shiraha Fresh Water Services Limited

simeon.khakata@gmail.com
Butere Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya
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