LAUSR

Abstract Service differentiation and the use of "appropriate technologies" are often presented as alternative approaches to providing water service to low-income areas. Service differentiation allows water service providers to manage the risks associated with service expansion to these areas. We argue that rather than a choice of the service provider alone, the decision for service differentiation should be seen as a consensus between different actors in the water services sector. A review of secondary data, and semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders in three Kenyan cities, show that managers of water utilities also choose these strategies because they appeal to and align with the interest of donors, governments, sector organisations, and alternative providers.