There was a time I though building a latrine in Kenya cost Ksh 20,000 until I built mine last year. I approached a fundi who was referred to me by my Nairobi friend. When I asked for a quotation, he told me it costs Ksh 120,000 to Ksh 150,000. I was shocked.
I negotiated with him and he charged me Ksh 15,000 for labour. I purchased materials needed. Bricks, sand, cement, doors and other materials cost Ksh 40,000. Digging the latrine cost Ksh 12,500.
Labour, materials and digging of the latrine cost me Ksh 67,500. I also purchased iron sheets for Ksh 15,000.
My latrine has two doors, one for a toilet and another one for a bathroom. The two doors cost me Ksh 7,000. I also spent Ksh 4,500 on paint.
Building of the latrine took 2 weeks and by the time it was complete, I spent Ksh 90,000.
A latrine seems to be a small building. Many people who have not built one will say it costs Ksh 30,000 only but when they build, the story is different.
While building my latrine, I discovered that if you want to reduce the costs, buy the materials yourself—-don’t give the job to another person. Another thing is that you should buy high quality materials.
I also realized that instead of paying the fundi per day, negotiate the price for the entire project. If you opt to pay them daily, they will work slowly so as to take more days. A latrine that takes 2 weeks to be complete can take up to 1 month.
