Turkana County intensifies bid to end open defecation by 2030 as more public health promoters trained
The project targets to certify 75 villages in Turkana South, including Aroro Sub-County, and 134 villages including Lokichoggio in Turkana West.
Turkana County is working towards the total elimination of open defecation, with at least 209 villages set to benefit from community-led total sanitation activities implemented under phase two of the Kenya Sanitation Enabling Environment Project (KSSEP).
The Turkana County Department of Health and Sanitation is currently training 30 public health and community health assistants from Turkana West and Turkana South sub-counties on the implementation of the project that aims to achieve behavioural changes to eliminate open defecation in communities.
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According to the county government, the KSSEP phase two, implemented in collaboration with Peace Winds Japan and funded by UNICEF Kenya, targets to certify 75 villages in Turkana South, including Aroro Sub-County, and 134 villages including Lokichoggio in Turkana West, as open defecation-free within two years.
Speaking during the opening of the training for the health officials, County Director for Health and Sanitation Alfred Emanman highlighted the importance of achieving behavioural changes in the targeted villages to prevent diseases caused by poor sanitation.
"All of us must change unsanitary practices in order to eliminate the risks of contamination due to open defecation," he said.
Solid waste management
County Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (Wash) coordinator Reuben Kibyego stated that the training also covers solid waste management, focusing on proper disposal practices.
"The training would enhance participants' understanding of community-led total sanitation principles and practices, including its monitoring and evaluation tools," he said.
Mohamed Kosar, a Wash assistant from Peace Winds Japan, emphasised the importance of real-time monitoring to track the progress of the community-led total sanitation implementation to assess the impact of the project.
Between 2021 and 2023, KSSEP 1 targeted 247 villages in Turkana West and Turkana South sub-counties.
Over the five years, the project declared 174 villages as open defecation-free (ODF), achieving 70.4 per cent of its target, equivalent to 13 per cent of the total certified villages across the county.
According to the 2019 Kenya Census report, Turkana County's open defecation rate stood at 68.1 per cent. As of October 2024, 1,258 villages — 55.8 per cent of the county — were certified as ODF. The county health department aims to certify the remaining 996 villages by 2030.
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