Lecture by Sophie Schramm on water infrastructure in Nairobi

In her lecture, she shed light on the complex water infrastructures of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which are characterized by a multitude of formal and informal access points, technologies, and practices. These often improvised and highly locally adapted configurations differ not only between different neighborhoods, but even from household to household.

Prof. Schramm made it clear that urban infrastructures develop and function beyond traditional concepts – for example, when water pipes are tapped, meters are manipulated or alternative sources are used. Especially in times of crisis such as the Corona pandemic, it became apparent how unequally water supplies are distributed: while some apartment dwellers barely had enough water, people in slums sometimes had free access.

The interplay of everyday use and structural insecurity challenges common notions of infrastructure and reveals new perspectives on the realities of urban life in (East) African cities.