The government is working towards eliminating open defecation by 2030.
As a result, it has sent thousands of teacher handbooks to schools in 16 counties with high rates of open defecation.
Additionally, health CS Mutahi Kagwe says these efforts are to help the country realize and meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2.
“The goal of SDG 6 and the targets of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) SDGs call for access to safe and sustainable WASH for everyone by 2030,” the CS said at a Nairobi hotel when he launched Hygiene Promotion in Schools, a handbook for teachers.
While delivering this speech on behalf of the CS, health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said the most affected counties include; Marsabit, Samburu, West Pokot, Kajiado, Narok, Murang’a, Homa Bay, Turkana, Wajir and Kwale.
Moreover, according to a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, Kenya is one of 26 countries responsible for 90 per cent of open defecation.
“The burden of open defecation has increased among poor households, more so among the poorest,” the CS pointed out.
Elsewhere, MOH head of of Public Health Dr. Francis Kuria says Kenya is estimated to have a national open defecation rate of 14 per cent.
“One in every three schools in Kenya lacks access to Water. And 50 per cent of the schools lack adequate sanitation spaces, while 98 per cent of schools in rural areas lack hygiene facilities,” Kagwe said.