NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 18 – 15 counties said to have the highest rates of open defecation are set to benefit from the Kenya Sanitation Alliance (KSA) that was launched on Wednesday, a move designed to eliminate the vic in Kenya by 2025.
At the launch event held in Nairobi, leaders from each of the 15 counties’ signed a declaration of commitment to end open defecation by 2025 and provided their inputs to the action plan.
Kenya is one of 26 countries globally, responsible for 90% per cent of the world’s open defecation.
“Open defecation has devastating consequences for public health – causing disease and death, especially among young children. If we end this practice, we will save lives and remove a barrier to education and economic opportunity,” Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe said.
Open defecation has particularly devastating effects on the health of children under the age of five, especially in rural areas where the practice is more prevalent.
“I commend the Kenya Sanitation Alliance for recognizing the vital role that county governments play in ended open defecation,” Council of Governors Chairman Martin Wambora said.
“Children and families in Kenya are entitled to proper sanitation and county governments are committed to delivering this, including in the arid and semi-arid land counties,” he said.
In Kenya, over 6,600 children under five are estimated to die each year from diarrhea, of which 80 per cent are attributable to poor water, sanitation and hygiene.
The Kenya Sanitation Alliance is designed to help the country achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, on water and sanitation, as well as the Kenya Vision 2030 to transform the country into an industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment.
“This Alliance demonstrates strong political leadership at both the national and county level, which is a critical component to accelerating progress to end open defecation,” Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Sicily Kanini Kariuki said.
“Through this renewed push, I am confident that we can eliminate open defecation in Kenya. Our country deserves nothing less,” she said.
The KSA will also review the progress through a national mechanism and mobilize additional domestic resources.
“Every child has the right to health and dignity, and eliminating open defecation is a key way to ensure that they enjoy these rights,” said UNICEF Representative to Kenya, Maniza Zaman.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the role of good hygiene – especially handwashing – in preventing the spread of disease. Thanks to the generous support from Japan and the US, we now have a unique opportunity to come together through the Sanitation Alliance and end open defecation in Kenya for good.”
The alliance is led by the Ministries of Health and Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation and funded by the Government of Japan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The Government of Japan, in collaboration with UNICEF, is working on the improvement of sanitation in Kenya through the Sanitation for Universal Health Coverage project,” Deputy Head of Mission, the Embassy of Japan, Yasuhisa Kitagawa said.
“We are determined to continue in our support of this project which seeks to end open defecation through partnerships with UNICEF and other partners as well as involving both the public and private sectors within Kenya.”
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, almost 85% of open defecation in Kenya takes place in 15 counties: Baringo, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kilifi, Kwale, Mandera, Marsabit, Narok, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir, and West Pokot.
