5 f 2026
Under the Delegated Management Model (DMM) KIWASCO, the water utility of Kisumu, Kenya, delegates responsibility for water service delivery in low-income areas to private operators. We are supporting a pilot in Kisumu to test whether the DMM can be a viable and replicable service delivery model in Kenya. Our support included digitalisation of operators, reducing non-revenue water, formalisation of the operating framework with the utility and defining what is needed to effectively scale-up.
Why we funded: Improving access and service quality in low-income areas is a challenge across Africa and elsewhere in the world. The DMM model has shown early promise but needs further testing to understand how it can become financially sustainable and replicable in other Kenyan utilities.
5 f 2026
The Small Utilities Programme is a proof of concept initiative to apply a business entrepreneurship methodology to improve the performance and creditworthiness of small utilities in Kenya. Implemented by CEWAS, it aims to show that a package of targeted, low-cost technical assistance can deliver actionable results for a cohort of utilities.
Why we funded: Small and medium-sized utilities serve a significant portion of Kenya’s population but are often overlooked by traditional utility support programmes. This pilot tests a replicable model for building utility creditworthiness and operational capacity with potential for strategic scale-up if successful.
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5 f 2026
The Water Revenue Financing Facility (WRFF) is a blended finance vehicle designed to expand access to long-term, affordable loans for private water operators in Cambodia. It helps small providers overcome the twin barriers of limited finance and technical capacity that have constrained rural piped water expansion.
Why we funded: Through WRFF we are demonstrating how flexible, revenue-linked lending can make rural water systems both bankable and sustainable. Technical support is provided by our partner Aquabridge to enable operators to access capital, strengthen performance and deliver reliable water to tens of thousands of households building a model that can attract commercial investors and be replicated.
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5 f 2026
The 300 Water Leaders initiative aims to accelerate the performance of 300 utilities in emerging markets to ensure 300 million additional people have access to water and sanitation services by 2030. Set up by Global Water Intelligence, it builds management capacity through a peer-to-peer network and in-person training programme for utility CEOs, recognising that leadership quality is a critical but underestimated driver of utility success.
Why we funded: We believe management quality is undervalued and underfunded as a driver of utility performance. Strengthening CEO and management capacity can deliver long-term sustainable improvements that outlast infrastructure investments and other forms of technical assistance.
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5 f 2026
DayLipa are an energy asset financing organisation in Sub Saharan Africa set up by 4R Digital and Davis & Shirtliff, a leading water and energy equipment supplier. During the initial launch, DayLipa focused on financing solar irrigation pumps for smallholder farmers in Kenya, enabling the solarisation of agriculture sector on a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) basis.
Why we funded: We are providing loan capital to DayLipa to pilot an expansion of their solar financing to 30 water service providers in Kenya. This will test the ability for WSPs to pay for solar interventions on a PAYGO basis and will improve operational costs for WSPs across Kenya. If successful, DayLipa can expand the pilot, attract additional capital and serve WSPs with solar financing products in the long term.
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