On 20 November 2018, the Nakuru county government said it was putting up more than 15 public washrooms along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway to tackle open defecation on the busy route.
The project is meant to stop passengers and truck drivers from using nearby bushes, a practice officials say exposes residents to the risk of disease outbreaks.
County director of public health Samuel King’ori said the administration was committed to eliminating open defecation along major roads in the region. He said the toilets would be built in areas including Kinungi, Kikopey, Salgaa, Kivunja, Total Junction, Nakuru North, Longonot, Subukia and Keringet.
“Previously, the county had major challenges with cholera but we have managed to contain this and the county has set aside Sh15 million for the toilets project along the major road,” he said.
King’ori also said the county had targeted 2,050 villages in the sanitation drive, but only 390 had so far been declared Open Defecation Free.
