MajiVoice is an innovative accountability mechanism that is transforming service delivery in the Kenyan water and sanitation sector. Linking citizens, water service providers (WSPs) and the sector regulator, the new MajiVoice software platform provides specific tools and incentives to strengthen the focus on customer needs and improve service standards. In its first year, the system has achieved concrete results: At Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd (NCWSC), Kenya’s largest water utility and the first to adopt MajiVoice, the number of complaints recorded rose almost tenfold, resolution rates climbed from 46% to 94% and time to resolution halved.

Under the guidance of the Water Services Regulatory Board of Kenya (WASREB), the regulator responsible for sector rules and their enforcement, the system has since been extended to WSPs in Nakuru, Nanyuki and Mathira. MajiVoice was developed in partnership between the World Bank’s Water Global Practice, WASREB and participating WSPs. The Water Global Practice supports client countries in improving access to safe water and sanitation services, especially among the poor. To achieve this aim, lending operations such as the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) and the Water and Sanitation Services Improvement Project (WASSIP) are combined with innovative technical assistance such as MajiVoice. This knowledge note describes how MajiVoice succeeded in improving accountability in the Kenyan water sector and outlines the building blocks to achieve similar impact in other countries and sectors.

(Taken from Policy Note introduction)