EXAMINING LINKS BETWEEN NATURE, SOCIETY AND MODES OF SANITATION IN KAMPALA

Abstract

This research is motivated by calls for further analysis of the concept of infrastructural heterogeneity by focusing on environment-society relations and urban sanitation. The study aims to determine how communities make use of sanitation technologies to respond to environmental risks and describes the socio-spatial configurations that result from interventions to reduce that risk. To achieve this, the study set three research questions which are answered in the three core chapters of this dissertation. These chapters focus on i) how community practices and narratives around environmental risks are conveyed in relation to sanitation technologies, ii) how community practices and narratives around sanitation technologies align with changing urban environments and iii) what socio-spatial configurations are created by differential provision and access to toilets. By employing a qualitative research approach with methods including semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions, the study engaged fifty participants to answer these questions. These methods were used to collect and analyze data on the lived experiences of individuals and groups; the social, cultural, and institutional context within which their experiences are shaped at two study sites in the city. Data was analyzed through Content and Spatial analyses, generating themes and spatial visualization of areas prone to safe and unsafe sanitation. Findings showed major risk factors like water outages, vectors, and odors that impacted respondents’ use of the toilet and their general environment. There were individual and collective actions of adapting to and mitigating risks although some groups of people and particular spaces were more vulnerable to the risks. Analyzing practices and narratives helped to place sanitation infrastructure within layers of power, relationship dynamics and socio-economic status that impact mitigation of risks. The dissertation, therefore, expands the analysis of heterogeneous infrastructure configurations by focusing on how they shape and are shaped by human-environment interactions. It concludes that despite the presence of some modern infrastructure, there remain highly interconnected links between humans, the environment and modes of sanitation in Kampala.