Sanitation Access and Progress Towards Achieving MDG7 by Kenya's Arid and Semi-arid Land Households

Abstract

Low access to and use of sanitation facilities in Kenya's And and semi and lands (ASALS) significantly impact the health and development of the citizens. To ascertain the relevance of Millennium development Goal 7 (MDG7) on sanitation in these ASAL areas, five participatory surveys on Household (HH) sanitation access and use were done in Kenya's six districts between 2008 and 2011. Structured pretested questionnaire was administered in 4872 HHs; coupled with observation, key informant interviews (Kll) and focus group discussions (FGDs). The prevalence of HH ownership and access to sanitation were 88% and 91.4% respectively. Whereas, 8.6% used bush, only 48% had access to improved sanitation, and is far from meeting the MDG7 on sanitation. Correlation statistics indicate a significant relation between: type of latnne vs latnne use (r=0.434). Whereas there was no statistically significant relation between latrine use and gender in all other areas, Orwa was an outlier with 37% of the latnnes being used by only one gender.