Off-Grid Sanitation Simplified and Circular: Laguna Innovation in Kenya

Wastewater is usually seen as a problem, but Laguna Innovation sees it as a resource. Their off-grid wastewater treatment systems improve sanitation and enable circular water reuse for businesses, institutions, and communities.

Across East Africa, limited access to sewer networks creates hidden costs. Fewer than 20 percent of Kenyans are connected to public sewage infrastructure, leaving most developments, schools, farms, and clinics dependent on septic tanks and exhauster trucks. These systems often overflow or leak, polluting groundwater, damaging roads, and creating serious public health risks.

Laguna Innovation addresses this challenge with a solar-powered, off-grid wastewater treatment solution designed for sites that lack reliable infrastructure. 

As part of the Pears Challenge: ClimateTech Validation Trip to Kenya, COO Liana Berlin-Fischler joined the Nura Global Team to explore how Laguna’s solution could be implemented across the Kenyan market, engaging with developers, agribusinesses, eco-lodges, schools, clinics, and public institutions.

COO of Laguna Innovation Liana Berlin-Fischler meeting with H.E. Gideon Behar, Ambassador of Israel to Kenya,

Their technology is inspired by natural wetland processes, where biological activity breaks down contaminants and converts sewage into irrigation-grade water. The modular systems operate independently of the electricity grid, produce virtually no sludge, and are designed to be odor-free, low-noise, and remotely monitored, reducing both operational complexity and long-term costs.

By replacing septic tanks with circular wastewater hubs, Laguna enables sites to remain compliant with discharge regulations while improving water security and resilience. Treated effluent meets international standards for agricultural and other non-potable reuse, including landscaping and toilet flushing, allowing wastewater to become a productive asset rather than a liability.

Learning from the field

One of the most inspiring aspects of the Pears Challenge Validation Trip that Liana recalled, was the openness and trust shown by local stakeholders. Liana encountered a strong willingness to collaborate, as well as a clear belief that Israeli technologies could play a meaningful role in addressing Kenya’s sanitation and water challenges. The validation trip revealed a rich ecosystem of potential partners across and relationships across many sectors that went beyond initial expectations.

In the field, Laguna’s core value proposition was quickly understood, but with different priorities depending on the use case. For developers, schools, and clinics, the immediate need was safe, reliable, and compliant wastewater treatment, particularly in areas without sewer access. For agribusinesses, the ability to reuse treated water for irrigation and landscaping carried even greater appeal.

While water reuse was not always top of mind at first, conversations naturally shifted once stakeholders saw the practical and financial implications. When discussing the separation of water and sewage costs, and how Laguna’s system reduces both, interest grew rapidly. The idea that treated wastewater could offset water purchases and help systems pay for themselves resonated strongly.

The trip also revealed the broader societal costs of inadequate wastewater infrastructure. In Nairobi, exhaust trucks transporting sewage were stuck in traffic for hours, with some dumping untreated waste into water bodies to avoid delays. In Kisumu, newly constructed roads were already deteriorating under the weight and frequency of sewage trucks. These experiences underscored how limited wastewater treatment impacts not only sanitation and the environment, but also transportation systems, municipal budgets, and community health.

Rethinking implementation models

Rather than changing Laguna’s direction, the trip reinforced the flexibility of both the technology and the business model. Liana observed that sanitation needs and water reuse needs do not always exist in the same place. A property developer may require a compliant wastewater solution without needing the treated water, while nearby farmers or cooperatives may value the water but lack capital to invest in treatment infrastructure.

This opens the door to non-linear, cross-sector implementation models, where one stakeholder invests in the system and others benefit from the reused resource. In these models, wastewater treatment becomes a shared, revenue-generating asset, reducing risk for individual users while maximizing environmental and economic value. Laguna’s modular and scalable systems are particularly well suited to these partnerships, enabling circularity to be embedded from the outset.

Check out more about their model at www.lagunainnovation.com/

What’s next

Looking ahead, Laguna aims to establish a working demonstration site in Kenya within the next year, and seeks sales to other types of use cases. The goal is to showcase the practical application of their off-grid wastewater technology in a local community setting, addressing real sanitation challenges while enabling safe, circular water reuse and building hands-on technical capacity for local operators and stakeholders. 

Over the next year, the team plans to strengthen collaborations with local partners, laying the groundwork for broader adoption across Kenyan and East African communities, companies and institutions. The validation trip confirmed both the urgency of the sanitation challenge and the readiness of the ecosystem to embrace scalable, off-grid, and circular solutions.