In December 2020, African Review of Business and Technology reported that the Dutch blended finance manager Climate Fund Managers (CFM) had agreed to co-finance and co-develop up to 200 desalination units in Kitui County, Kenya. The technology came from the Finnish company Solar Water Solutions: containerised units treat brackish groundwater with solar power, without a grid connection or battery storage. Users pay at water ATMs by mobile payment. After a pilot, the project aimed to reach 400,000 people by 2023, with funding estimated at up to US$15 million.
The report shows a decentralised approach: small solar-powered brackish water units for rural areas, financed through a climate fund and run on mobile payments rather than a large coastal plant.