Primary schools risk closure for lacking toilets in Migori

Public primary schools in Muhurubay ward, Nyatike Sub County are at risk of being shut down by public health officers if they don’t have toilets in the learning institution.

Tagache Primary School is among other institutions that received a warning letter from the health ministry for not having toilets to cater for its 300 learners and teachers.

Confirming the letter’s arrival, Tagache Head Teacher Milka Ogutu expressed worry over the closure of the school that is having challenges with classrooms, adding that old shops were now used as classrooms.

Mr Ogutu called on local leaders and Non-Governmental Organizations to help build toilets in the school, noting that students and teachers are forced to share toilets with a nearby market.

According to 2016 statistics from Public Health department, Nyatike Sub County, under Migori County, has the least number of toilets with 69 per cent people having access to toilets compared to other sub-counties in the county.

This poor coverage has resulted in human waste being disposed into the lakes while some people use nearby bushes to relieve themselves.

At the same time, the director of public health in Migori County, Dr Kennedy Ombogo, said the county spends over Ksh800,000 annually on sanitation related issues.

In March 2016, the county was greatly affected by a cholera outbreak and residents complained of heaps of uncollected garbage that had piled on the main highway connecting the town to Tanzania and other parts of the county.

Edited by Ann Mukuru