Building sustainable sanitation systems by designing innovative toilet solutions, leading to a decrease in the spread of diseases and an improved environment
Samuel Malinga
Growing up in the slums of Kampala, Samuel has witnessed people suffer from water-borne diseases caused by sanitation problems. Over 95% of the Ugandan population use on-site sanitation facilities, such as septic tanks and pit latrines. In Kampala, many of the pit latrines are full and most of the fecal sludge is not collected. This problem is especially severe in the slum areas, where it’s difficult for vacuum tankers and trucks to enter. This causes sanitation problems and leads to the spread of diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and diarrhea, especially among children. Determined to change this, Samuel decided to study engineering to come up with a solution to the sanitation challenges in his community.
Samuel took part in SE Forum’s SE Outreach Accelerator in 2017.
Sanitation Africa
Sanitation Africa Ltd was founded in 2015 with the mission to enable low-income households to access decent, affordable sanitation facilities. Samuel and his team design innovative toilet solutions and improve and upscale existing ones, to create sustainable and dignified sanitation solutions. Sanitation Africa has also developed a semi-mechanical pump to empty pit latrines in areas that are otherwise hard to reach. In addition to this, the company produces cooking briquettes made from the dried sludge, which is sold as an environmentally friendly option to firewood. In 2016, Samuel was listed as one of the 30 under 30 African Entrepreneurs by Forbes Magazine. He is also one of the UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. The SE Outreach Accelerator will give Samuel the opportunity to develop his business management skills and help him make critical strategic decisions, in order to enable Sanitation Africa to scale and improve the lives of more people.
