Urban Public Toilets Management in Tanzania: Understanding Cost-effective Approaches

Authors

  • Arbogasti Isidori Kanuti Ardhi University
  • Rehema Monko Ardhi University
  • Samwel Alananga Ardhi University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/mmpp.v1i2.738

Abstract

Cost recovery and user satisfaction are among the core objectives of any public or quas-public good provision.  Public toilet service provision has been the domain of local government until when liberalisation policies struck the developing south.  With stringent condition to reduce the fiscal burden, local government authorities have sought to offload some of its core functions including the management of public toilets to contracted firms.  Based on regression and comparative quadrant analysis, this study evaluates cost recovery and user satisfaction in relation to public toilet condition based on a total of 729 user responses and 31 public toilet operators.  The observations point to misguided decision to place public toilet management under contracted firms instead of placing then under Public Private Partnership (PPP). The decision to place public toilets management under private contract or individual contract is only secondary to PPP if the focus is to achieve both cost recovery and user satisfaction.  However, if the focus was to achieve only cost recovery regardless of the need to protect users, then the decision would have been well founded but can be conspired inappropriate in as long as public toilets remain the domain of public good.

Keywords:

Public toilets, Cost recovery, User satisfaction, Cost effectiveness, Management, Tanzania

References

[1] The Gurdian Newspaper Report.Call to erect public toilets in Cities' slum areas. Dar es salaam : s.n., 2010.

[2] Carl Bro Group.Guidelines for the Provision, operation and management of public toilets. Accra, Ghana : Ministry of Local Government and Rural development, 2003.

[3] City of Port Phillip.Public toilets plan 2013-2023. Port Phillip, Australia : Unpublish., 2013.

[4] Msambazi, M, Beebe, A. Latrine construction not only a household matter but a public a public good;Revolutionary thinking to end a long standing problem of low coverage of improved toilets in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania : WaterAid, 2010.

[5] Gideoni, F.Provision of Public Toilet at a market: The case of Buguruni Mnyamani. Dar es Salaam : Ardhi University, Dissertation, 2012 .

[6] European Environment Agency.Assessment of cost recovery through water pricing. Luxembourg : Office of the European Union, 2013.

[7] Ayee, J and Richard, C.“Toilet wars”: urban sanitation services and the politics of public-private partnerships in Ghana. Brighton, Sussex, England : Institute of Developing Studies, 2003.

[8] Stirling Council.Improving public access to better public toilets. Scotland : Stirling, 2008.

[9] Entrepreneurial orientation and the franchise system. Dada, O and Watson, A.. European Journal of Marketing , 2013: 790 - 812.

[10] Fiszbein, A.Public-Private Partnerships as a Strategy for Local Capacity Building;Some Suggestive Evidence from Latin America. Chichester : Wiley, 2000.

[11] Kärnä, S.Analysing customer satisfaction and quality in construction –the case of public and private customers. Construction Economics and Management. . Finland: : Helsinki University of Technology , 2011.

[12] Lepkova, N, Žūkaitė-Jefimovienė, G.. Study on customer satisfaction with facilities management services in Lithuania., Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering , 2012, XX: 1-16.

[13] Improvement of the management of public toilet facilities in Kumasi. Roles of public and private sector. Frantzen, A. s.l. : Institute ofPlanning and Demography, Urban adn Rural Planning in Africa, 1998.

[14] Greed, C, Daniels, I. Bristol : University of the West of England, 2002.

[15] Bichard, J and Knight, G.. Improving public services through open data: public toilets. ME3, s.l. : Institution of Civil Engineers. Municipal Engineer, 2012, 165: 157–165 .

[16] Water Partnership Program.Guidelines for User Fees and Cost Recovery for Rural, Non-Networked, Water and Sanitation Delivery. s.l. : African Development Bank, 2011.

[17] Kwarteng, A.B, et al., et al.. Assessing sanitation conditions and its impacts on the health status of urban dwellers in Abuakwa, Ghana. A Cross sectional survey. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015, 5.

[18] Easte, W, Liu, Y.Cost Recovery and Water Pricing for Irrigation and Drainage Projects. Washington, DC : The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 2005.

[19] KPMP, Sears, G.Canadian Geospatial Data Policy Study . Ottawa : KPMP, 2001.

[20] Alananga, S.S.Pricing Cadastral products under different cost recovery regimes. University of Twente. The Nertherland : ITC, MSc Disertation, 2010.

[21] Cardone, R, Fonseca, C. Financing and Cost Recovery. International Water and Sanitation Centre.. CW Delft, Netherlands : IRC, 2003.

[22] Canham, R.Assessing the accessibility of public toilet provision in Ottawa, Ontario . Carleton University. 2014.

[23] Yates, B.T. Measuring and Improving Cost, Cost-Effectiveness, and Cost-Benefit for Substance Abuse Treatment Programs. Bethesda, Maryland : National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1999.

[24] McDonald, D.A. The theory and practice of cost recovery in South Africa. [book auth.] D.A, Pape, J McDonald. Cost Recovery and the Crisis of Service Delivery in South Africa. Tokai, Cape Town : Human Sciences Research Council, 2002.

[25] Toubkiss, J.How to manage public toilets and showers; Methodological Guide. s.l. : AFD and the European Commission‟s ACP-EU Water Facility, 2012, 5.

[26] Greed, D.A Code of Practice for Public Toilets in Britain. Faculty of the Built Environment, University of the West of England, . Bristol, United Kingdo : School of Architecture and Planning, 2010.

Downloads

How to Cite

Kanuti, A. I., Monko, R., & Alananga, S. (2019). Urban Public Toilets Management in Tanzania: Understanding Cost-effective Approaches. Macro Management & Public Policies, 1(2), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.30564/mmpp.v1i2.738

Issue

Article Type

Articles