Photograph — bostonmagazine.com

In a court ruling in Kenya, Justice Anthonia Kossy Bor directed the government to provide toilets and other sanitation facilities along highways to ensure a clean and healthy society. The new policy supports the 6th objective of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals signed in 2015 by the Member States. 

According to Bor, “the national transport policy should incorporate toilets and other sanitation on road stops on the national and international trunk roads.”  The policy could, therefore, be regarded as part of Kenya’s efforts towards improved access to safe toilets. It could also be seen as a possible means to put an end to open defecation in the country.

The team is expected to comprise of delegates from the Council of Governors (COG), Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Rural Roads Authority and Kenya Urban Roads Authority. Justice Bor further recommended that the policy took into consideration the overall objective of guaranteeing every person using the road network reasonable access to decent toilets and sanitation facilities.

There are many indicators of a sanitized society, however, the availability of clean toilets is considered one of the most important factors. According to a 2019 UNICEF report, Kenya is not an Open Defecation Free society. An estimated 5 million (about 10 percent) Kenyans practise open defecation, while only 14 percent have hand-washing facilities with soap and water at home. Barely 29 percent of Kenyans have access to sanitary facilities. The implementation of this policy would gradually curb Open Defecation practices among the country’s highway users. It would also curb the outbreak and spread of life-threatening epidemics.

For the Kenyan government to guarantee a dignified life for its citizens, it needs to provide basic hygiene and sanitation services. Sanitation directly impacts the living standards of people. However, a large number of the world’s population – mostly poor people- cannot afford basic sanitary facilities. According to research, about 35 percent  (2.5 billion) of the world’s populations are still lacking access to improved sanitation. 

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