An analysis of the production and manufacture of the modified clay pot at the Oriang Women's Pottery Group, the Amilo-Rangwe Pottery Group, and the Kinda E Teko Pottery Group in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Abstract

In response to the growing demands for safe water supplies and the absence of a central infrastructure capable of meeting those demands, CARE-Kenya has implemented a safe water storage program at the household level. Central to this program is the modified clay pot, a hybrid of traditional Kenyan pottery and safe water storage principles. The modified clay pot exhibits a flat base for stability, a narrow neck to prevent access and thus reducing the chances of contamination, a standardized size in order to be compatible with chlorine dosing standards, and a tap at the base to provide safe access to the water within. The goal of this thesis is to analyze and record the production and manufacturing methods used by three local pottery groups in rural eastern Kenya using a combination of video, photography and written text. The primary focus of this work is to examine the ways in which the production processes could be improved and refined in order to increase both the efficiency of production, thus reducing the cost, and increase the scale of production, in order to increase availability of the modified clay pot to people within the Nyanza Province of Kenya.