Residents from Boru Haro posing with awards from PACIDA for maintain toilet cleanliness in their villages. Photo: PACIDA.
Outdated and misleading cultures have been mentioned as one of the contributing factors for failure by residents of Marsabit to observe toilets cleanliness in the county.
According to Amina Isako, an officer from PACIDA organisation said that outdated culture among pastoralist communities that people are not allowed to use one toilet, is the main reason residents of Marsabit County find it difficult to build up toilets in their homesteads.
Speaking during the awarding of three villages in Boru Haro location in Saku Sub-County, that had observed the use of toilets to avoid open defecation and keeping the environment clean, Isako urged residents to leave the outdated belief behind and embrace cleanliness by using toilets.
“One of the major challenge we get while moving around is lack of knowledge by our community on importance of toilets, being nomadic in nature, they do not see the need to build toilets, as they live near bushes, while others argue that they cannot use one toilet as a family. We call on resident to shun this misleading belief, and build a toilet that can be used by the community living in one Manyatta,” Isako said.
However, she mentioned the high poverty levels is a challenge, leading to failure of residents to access materials to build toilets. She urged NGOs and other stakeholders, to come and rescue the situation by donating the needed materials to the residents to aid them in constructing the crucial structure.
“Due to poverty, a majority have not been able to build up toilets in the areas, another major challenge is dependency, they cannot build by themselves they wait until they are helped,” she stated.
She confirmed that PACIDA is working together with the Department of Health in Marsabit, to improve health and award residents with certificates for maintaining high standards of cleanliness, further stating that as an organisation, they will continue working with the Department to create more awareness among the residents on the importance of constructing toilets.
“We are awarding those who are building and maintain toilet cleanliness, appreciate the community and to motivate the rest to join the pact, from CHPs, PHOs, chief and the three Manyattas that observed the use of toilet, among other goodies to promote and encourage cleanliness,” she said.
The three villages Wario Guyo, Mulate Buke and Malka Lakole 1, were identified for maintaining proper hygiene, after inspection by public health officers inspecting the area, to avoid open defecation by residents.
