Teso south: MP Mary Emase has unveiled a programme to construct modern flush toilets in primary schools throughout the constituency to improve sanitation and hygiene.
According to Kenya News Agency, the project will be funded by various partners in collaboration with the Teso South National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), with each unit costing Sh 3.5 million. The funds will cover the construction of modern flush toilets, drilling boreholes, installing solar-powered water pumping systems, erecting elevated 10,000-litre water tanks, establishing menstrual hygiene management rooms for girls, and installing biodigesters.
The newly designed flush toilets will use minimal water and connect to biodigesters that convert waste into biogas for school kitchens. The programme’s implementation will start with a pilot phase targeting the first 15 primary schools. Schools with existing boreholes and water tanks will receive only the flush toilets and biodigesters, allowing additional funds to support more schools.
Speaking in Amukura, Emase emphasized that the initiative aims to enhance Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) standards in schools by replacing pit latrines with modern flush toilets, providing a safer and more sustainable sanitation solution. She highlighted that space constraints due to repeated pit latrine replacements have limited play areas for pupils.
She pointed out that traditional pit latrines in many schools are dilapidated, with some condemned by public health officers for posing safety risks to learners. Emase stressed the need for durable sanitation systems, noting that a significant portion of the Sh10 million annual emergency allocation under the Teso South NG-CDF often addresses sanitation issues caused by failing pit latrines.
Emase’s remarks followed the receipt of a donation of six 10,000-litre water tanks from Sidian Bank for distribution to six schools in the constituency. These schools are part of the pilot phase of the sanitation programme. The beneficiary schools include Kamarinya’ng, Osurete, Amoni, Amukura, Goria, and Ong’ariama primary schools, representing the constituency’s six wards.
The MP emphasized the importance of creating a conducive learning environment by improving education infrastructure. Sidian Bank’s Senior Relationship Manager for Government and Institutional Banking, Jerome Chibole, noted that the donated tanks would help schools store water and reduce pupils’ time spent fetching water from rivers. The bank’s CSR campaign aims to distribute water tanks to primary schools across Kenya, beginning with Teso South in Busia County before expanding to other constituencies.
