Kilifi County has attained 83 percent coverage of sanitation and access to toilets across the region while stepping up efforts to end open defecation to prevent diarrheal diseases.
According to County Preventive and Promotive Health Head Mrs. Catherine Munyoki, the County government has in the meantime allocated Sh10million to support initiatives aimed at eradicating open defecation.
Speaking at Viragoni village during the celebration to declare Kaloleni sub-county Open Defecation-free (ODF) zone, Ms Munyoki said that the department has also embarked on improving the conditions of mudded toilets, where residents are trained to use home-made bricks to construct modern toilets.
She said that the County has made a significant milestone in the use of toilets especially in the rural areas adding that they celebrate ODF status to encourage residents to join the movement to end the use of bushes for the calls of nature.
“Today we are celebrating to motivate and show the residents that what they are doing is good so that we can reduce diarrhea and other diseases caused by poor sanitation. Previously, cases of diarrhea and other diseases that are caused by poor sanitation were very high. But now these cases have significantly reduced due to improved sanitation practices in this area,” she explained.
Through awareness creation and trainings, she said they are changing people’s negative mindset and cultural beliefs that discourage use of toilets.
Speaking at the function, Mr Abraham Wekesa from Samaritan’s Purse International Relief organization said that they have partnered with the county government to ensure the entire Kilifi County attains ODF status by 2024.
“We had a target to get 31 villages to be ODF. So far, we have covered 28 villages, the remaining 3 are in the process of getting verified and certified,” said Wekesa the organization’s Community WASH Project Manager.
Mr. Wekesa added that the main challenge they face was drought and subsequent famine adding residents had no morale to build toilets as their main priority was food. He added due to drought most areas had no trees to source for materials to construct toilets.
County Head of Primary Health Care Division Edward Mumbo said eradicating open defecation was vital in achieving basic health care because it reduces the number of patients affected by poor hygiene in their areas of residence.
He added that eradicating open defecation reduces the number of patients visiting hospitals therefore reducing the burden of treatment costs for the county government.
By Jackson Msanzu
