Trans Nzoia to ban use of bar soaps for wash hands in public

The use of bar soap to wash hands in public places will be banned in Trans Nzoia County.

The public health department cites that the detergent may transmit germs if not properly used.

The County Public Health Officer Norbert Musundi said that the department is preparing a communication that will be released to ban the use of the detergent.

He said research has shown that bar soap can transmit germs when many people use it at the same time and a lot of infections are being transmitted.

Area residents have instead been encouraged to use liquid soap in washing their hands under running water.

Those who cannot afford the liquid soap were advised to use ash, which is germicidal, acting just like soap.

The office of public health in the county has moreover said that it has made tremendous steps in ensuring that proper hygiene standards are maintained.

Musundi said that they are working with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program to improve sanitation facilities, hand-washing being one of the focus areas.

Among other efforts towards sanitation in the county is the initiative to make it an open defecation-free county by 2020.

Mr. Musundi said that the county has tabled a bill that adopts some of the practices used in Ghana.

The bill provides that: for a person to marry they must show proof of owning a toilet, and for a parent to take a kid to school they must show that they have a toilet at home.

About 500 villages have been targeted by December this year so that they can undergo the process of being declared open defecation free.

For now two Forest villages in Folkland, Kwanza Sub County and Webanania Village in Endebess Sub County received certification of being open defecation free.

Report by Moses Wekesa