Kenya invests in public education to improve sanitation

Kenya will channel resources towards behavior change campaigns in order to improve sanitation at household and community level, officials said on Wednesday during the World Toilet Day.

Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia said besides infrastructure development, the government will roll out a national public awareness campaign to improve sanitation outcomes.

"Kenya is grappling with high incidents of diarrhea, amoeba, typhoid and cholera due to poor sanitation. A national behavior change campaign will encourage adoption of hygienic practices to reduce these infections," Macharia told journalists in Nairobi.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that half of Kenya's population lack access to improved sanitation.

Macharia regretted that Kenya might miss the sanitation millennium target due to under-investments, policy hiccups and cultural practices that encourage open defecation.

"An estimated 6 million Kenyans do not have latrines and are forced to defecate in the open. These people are vulnerable to contagious diseases and physical attacks," said the CS.

Kenya launched a community led total sanitation program in 2011 to eradicate open defecation in villages and shanty towns.

Macharia revealed that 1,300 villages across Kenya have been declared open defecation free, thanks to investments in sanitation infrastructure and public awareness.

"The Ministry of Health has partnered with county governments to raise public awareness on proper hygienic practices at the grassroots level," Macharia said.

A World Bank study revealed that Kenya loses 365 million U.S. dollars annually due to poor sanitation.

The study noted that 19,500 Kenyans, including 17,100 children under the age of five, die annually from diarrhea.

"Childhood stunting which affects education and long-term productivity has been linked to poor sanitation. Kenya's growth trajectory is at stake unless we scale up investments in clean water, sanitation and hygiene," said Macharia.

The Ministry of Health and donor partners have developed a national behavior change communications strategy to improve sanitation indicators.

Principal Secretary in the ministry of health Khadija Kassachoon said public education on improved sanitation options will be intensified in the counties.

"We will build on successes of the community led total sanitation program that led to wider adoption of latrines in the villages. Our campaign targets rural audience to enlighten them on the value and dignity of a pit latrine," Kassachoon said. Enditem