Six million Kenyans lack access to toilets, UN

The United Nations has asked Parliament to adopt the Water Bill to ensure millions of Kenyans who have no access to water are provided with the commodity.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms Catarina de Albuquerque, said only 30 per cent of the population has access to improved sanitation, while 13 per cent of people still have no choice but to defecate in the open.

“This is a daily indignity for over six million people,” she added.

Ms de Albuquerque urged Parliament to adopt the Water Bill, and the government to subsequently develop a new national water and sanitation strategy, which should be translated into real action at the county level.

'OPEN DEFECATION'

She said, in a statement, she visited Turkana County, where more than 80 per cent of the population defecate openly.

Ms de Albuquerque said this was not only an absolute denial of the right to sanitation, but also a serious threat to public health and the security of women and girls who have to walk into the bush at night.

“These women and girls are exposed to daily risks due to the lack of proper sanitation,” she emphasized.

Ms de Albuquerque said without dedicated budgets for sanitation, water and hygiene, the constitutionally recognized rights to water and sanitation will never materialize.

PREMATURE DEATH

“By investing in sanitation, Kenya would make significant economic gains,” stressed the Special Rapporteur.

She said the country loses at least Sh29.6 billion ($330 million) every year due to premature death, health care costs and productivity losses resulting from the lack of access to adequate sanitation.

The human rights expert also noted that the poorest of the poor in informal settlements and rural areas, are forced to pay much more for their water at water kiosks than the approved tariffs.

“I call upon the authorities to take immediate measures to enforce and monitor the official tariffs for water kiosks. This is crucial to correct the systematic pattern of the poor paying much more for water from kiosks than the rich for water from pipes,” she said.

FORMAL REPORT

Ms de Albuquerque said the rights to water and sanitation should not remain a dream for so many and the government should instead seize the opportunity and ensure these rights are recognized in the Kenyan Constitution itself.

“The process of devolution of State competence for provision of water and sanitation services represents a unique opportunity to design national and county-level road maps to reach the most marginalized and excluded and to ensure that their rights become a reality,” she added.

The Special Rapporteur will present a formal report on her official visit to a forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council, which will include her final findings and recommendations to the government of Kenya.