Case Study: Sanergy achieves affordable, hygienic sanitation in Nairobi’s Mukuru slum with SOLIDWORKS

Providing Hygienic Sanitation In Africa’s Urban Informal Settlements With Solidworks

Sanergy, one of Fast Company’s “World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Dedicated to Social Good,” works in the Mukuru slum outside Nairobi to provide affordable, hygienic sanitation through its Fresh Life toilet. To meet the challenge of designing toilets that are fast to install, easy to clean, and compatible with local manufacturing and waste‑collection systems, Sanergy partnered with SOLIDWORKS, using SOLIDWORKS Premium design and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium analysis tools.

Using SOLIDWORKS, Sanergy developed precast wall panels, an ergonomic thermoformed toilet plate, a durable supercontainer and removable waste cartridges, and optimized components with surface modeling and structural simulation to reduce weight and cost. SOLIDWORKS simulations minimized prototyping and production costs and helped scale the program—Sanergy has installed over 623 toilets in Mukuru, employs 230 staff (mostly Kenyan youth), and supports more than 295 franchise operators who earn about twice the local per‑capita GDP while charging residents roughly $0.06 per use.

Sanergy

Mike Hahn

Product Development Manager