Semi-urban water governance in Togo remains challenged by the limitations of community-based approaches, persistent gender-based exclusion, and informal dependency. This study examines the challenges associated with water governance in the semi-urban regions of Togo, with a focus on Kovié and Noèpé. Local organizations, such as the Association of Drinking Water and Sanitation Service Users, are struggling to ensure equitable, transparent, and sustainable management of these services. This research highlights the shortcomings of the current community model and proposes reform based on inclusive governance. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines household surveys (n = 712) on water sources with interviews, user and manager testimonies, focus groups, and participatory mapping. Drawing on Ostrom’s theory of the commons and Fraser and Schlosberg’s framework of environmental justice, the analysis reveals that community participation is often merely symbolic and that women, despite being central to domestic water use, remain marginalized in decision-making processes. The results also reveal ineffective operational delegation, prohibitively high connection costs of up to 100,000 FCFA (approximately 152 Euros), unfavorable pricing compared to urban areas, and a significant reliance on informal sources. Access to water is further undermined by recurring outages, opaque governance, spatial and social inequalities, and extremely high user dissatisfaction (over 97%). Recommendations include establishing performance contracts to enhance accountability, strengthening the technical capacities of committees, actively including women in governance, and creating sustainable financing mechanisms to reduce dependence on donors. Thus, the article calls for an overhaul of the system to ensure that water rights become a lever for social justice and local development.