Four Illeret villages begin process to end open defecation

By Silvio Nangori

After Illeret ward in Marsabit County recorded more than 258 cholera infections and several deaths in recent years, four villages in the ward have begun the process of eliminating open defecation.

The villages of Namuguse, Ilolo, Seulucho and Baulo in Illeret Ward are implementing Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) activities through Strategis for Northern Development SND aimed at improving sanitation and reducing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Residents participated in CLTS sensitisation sessions focusing on the dangers of open defecation and unsafe disposal of human waste.

Speaking to Radio Jangwani, Strategies for Northern Development (SND) , Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Manager Abdi Aliow said residents were shown how faecal contamination can spread through food, water and the environment, increasing the risk of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery.

Abdi said the programme seeks to encourage every household to construct, use and maintain safe latrines as part of efforts to eliminate open defecation in the four villages.

He said the communities will undergo regular follow-up to assess progress and support households in meeting the sanitation standards required for Open Defecation Free (ODF) certification.

Once the required standards are met, the villages will undergo a verification process before they can be declared Open Defecation Free.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of previous cholera outbreaks in the Illeret area.

Approximately 258 people in Ilolo and Seulucho villages were infected with cholera, while 52 children under the age of five were among the 258 cases reported in Illeret and Telasgaye villages some years back.

According to reports from the outbreak, 23 people died in the Illeret area, while the government reported that seven people died from cholera in 2020.

The programme is being implemented by Strategies for Northern Development (SND), with support from Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS) through Oxfam Italia and Oxfam Kenya.