The Department of Health and Sanitation in Turkana is set to implement phase two of the Kenya Sanitation Enabling Environment Project (KSSEP), which will target 209 villages across Turkana West and Turkana South sub-counties through community-led total sanitation (CLTS) activities.
More than 30 Public Health Officers (PHOs) and Community Health Assistants (CHAs) from the two sub-counties are undergoing training on the KSSEP II Project.
The CLTS approach has shown that it could achieve behavioural changes that eliminate open defecation in communities.
The KSSEP II, implemented in collaboration with Peace Winds Japan and funded by UNICEF Kenya, aims to certify 75 villages in Turkana South, including Aroo Sub- County, and 134 villages in Turkana West, including Lokichoggio, as open defecation-free (ODF) zones within two years.
While opening the training, Director of Public Health and Sanitation Alfred Emanman emphasized the importance of collective behaviour change in preventing diseases caused by poor sanitation.
“All of us must change unsanitary practices for the risk of faecal contamination to be eliminated,” he said.
The County Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator Reuben Kibyego noted that the training also covers solid waste management, focusing on proper disposal practices.
He added that the training would enhance participants’ understanding of CLTS principles and practices, including its monitoring and evaluation tools.
A WASH Assistant from Peace Winds Japan Kosar Mohammed emphasized the importance of real-time monitoring to track the progress of the CLTS implementation and assess the project’s impact.
By Peter Gitonga