REFLECTIONS: NAMBALE DECLARED THE FIRST ODF DISTRICT IN KENYA19TH NOVEMBER, 2012BY: Charles Ngira, CLTS trainer.

These school children were among thousands of spectators who turned out in large numbers to celebrate the World Toilet Day at Mlimani village, Sikinga Sub-location, Nambale district, Busia County.

INTRODUCTION: The World Toilet Day celebrations concluded well as Nambale District become the first district in Kenya to be officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). ODF is a situation where community members are using latrines, and there is no trace of faeces in the open environment, a process verified by a third party.

In May 2011, Kenya launched Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) campaign for Open Defecation Free Rural Kenya by 2013. This was after earlier reports from various parts of the country and especially Kilifi and Homa Bay where Plan Kenya works were key in sparking government interest in CLTS. To- date the ministry of Public Health and Sanitation has adopted CLTS as the strategy to promote rural sanitation.

Nambale ODF journey: Started late 2009 when Mlimani village got ODF. Ministry staff and partners become curious and anxious of the Mlimani success. They pledged to support the district. In 2010 GOK-UNICEF WASH programme supported CLTS training in Busia where 32 Public Health Officers and technicians were trained. They triggered 79 villages to become ODF. In May 2012, Nambale district comprising of 179 rural villages become ODF. This in terms of health benefits accounts for over 100,000 people reached with sanitation and hygiene interventions. This enormous achievement couldn’t go unnoticed, prompting the World Toilet Day celebrations to be held in Nambale as the first district to become ODF in Kenya.

The Minister of Public Health and Sanitation Hon. Beth Mugo presided over as the Guest of Honour. The ceremony was also attended by the area MP. Hon. Chris Okemo, partners, government officials, local leaders, public members and about 3,000 school children.

Public Health and Sanitation Minister Beth Mugo during this year’s World Toilet Day celebrations in Nambale district, Busia County.

The World Toilet Day celebrations attracted many partners based at national and regional levels. These included: UNICEF, Amref, KWAHO, SNV, WBP, WASH Alliance, Plan Kenya, Kenya Red Cross, APHIA Plus among others. Plan Kenya was represented by the Ag. Country Director Mr. Samuel Musyoki, CLTS Coordinator and Trainer, Charles Ngira and PU team members from Kisumu, Homa Bay and Bondo.

Plan Kenya Ag. Country Director, Samuel Musyoki giving a speech during WTD celebration where he emphasized on sustainability.

Preparation: Preparations for the World Toilet Day were coordinated at the Ministry headquarters. At the national level, partners formed the National steering committee chaired by the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, Mr. John Karuiki. The committee met on weekly basis planning the event. Plan Kenya representative was Charles Ngira.

District level: Planning was headed by the District Commisioner (DC) Nambale district with his entire team. He was closely supported by Busia District Public Health Officer with the Ministry staff. There was networking between the national and district level teams.

What worked well:

Proper coordinated network between the national and district level. Advance team from the national steering committee joining the district . Team work among partners and government officials. Presence of guest of honour accompanied by area MP. Full support of Provincial Administration ( from neighbouring districts as well) Organizing the function in rural where the community feel honoured. Recognition of CLTS champions with certificate awards. Proper social mobilization, boosted by Vitimbi comedy group.

Challenges: The venue was far from public transport systems so accessing it was costly.

What didn’t work: Failure to recognize CLTS ambassador (there has been a search for a long time ). Non participation of sanitation marketing partners. No evidence of participation of other line ministries (district education and water officials).

Lessons learnt

Conducting celebrations in rural settings promotes community involvement and ownership. Provincial Administration involvement is key at all stages of CLTS implementation.