Influence of Adherence to Quality Management System Standards on Access to Water and Sanitation Services in Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, over 3,100 children die annually for using unsafe water and poor sanitation. In the 2015/2016 financial year, access to water in Kenya stood at 54% for urban and 51% for rural areas. This low access to water and sanitation services could be as a result of the management practices in the water services providers. Previous studies have revealed the unsuccessful attempts to improve access of water and sanitation services through privatization and structural reforms in the water sector. These studies did not assess how management practices such as the quality management system can enhance access to water and sanitation services. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of the level of adherence to quality management system standards on access to water and sanitation services. The study adopted a combination of descriptive and explanatory research designs. The target population consisted of the 86 water service providers in Kenya. The sample comprised 70 water service providers who were selected using the stratified random sampling. The respondents of the study included the 70 general managers of the selected water service providers. Primary data was collected by the use of questionnaires. Secondary data was obtained from the 2016 /2017 WASREB report. The instruments were tested for validity and reliability through the content validity index (CVI=0.833) and the Cronbach alpha’s internal consistency index (a=0.773) for reliability. The study found that thelevel of adherence to quality management system standards significantly influenced the access to water and a sanitation service in Kenya (t=15.7, p<0.05).The study recommended that the management of the water service providers should strengthen the level of adherence to quality management system standards to enhance access to water and sanitation services to the members of the public.