Kenyans are bothered by the low sanitation rate in most parts of the country, exposing the public to opportunistic diseases like cholera and typhoid.
Health expert Lewis Onyango claims that the country’s health authorities seem to have turned their back on matters of public hygiene to the point that they are no longer putting much efforts in crafting workable systems for controlling outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
Onyango, who served as a public health technician for over 30 years, vividly remembers the days when the public health department was vibrant and officers were good at enforcing all the regulations about protecting and observing the hygiene of Kenyans.
“For instance, during the early days to the late 1980s no customer could walk into any eatery and find no warm water flowing from the handwash taps,” explained Onyango, adding that people would also be served by waiters draped in clean white aprons, as per the strict rules from the public health sector at the time.
But today, he regrets, the department of public health seems to have gone under, even as many hotels and roadside eateries mushroom in towns and markets, dispensing food in unhygienic surroundings.
“There was a time when the public health department would close even government institutions like schools that lacked good latrines as a measure to control outbreak of diseases like cholera,” he added.
His sentiments were echoed by another Migori resident Kevin Okello who said, “It is very unfortunate that it has come to an era when nobody is bothered by the way food is being handled in markets by traders.
The situation is so bad currently that the possibility of people eating contaminated food is so high in all parts of the country, he added.
Okello also noted that today food is being prepared in open places by the roadside with no regards at all to the public health rules, citing the many butcheries that are selling meat from open counters.
“In the past years, butcheries stored meat in well-kept transparent glass boxes, safe from contamination by flies. But today, it is the contrary and the public health officials are less concerned about the emerging unhygienic ways of handling food items in public places,” said Okello.
On her part, Jane Mahiri regretted that gone are the days when the public health officers would literally raid villages and recommend arrests of homeowners lacking working latrines within their compounds.
She said previously inspections were thoroughly conducted in all human abodes to ensure that sanitation was of high standards, contrary to the present times, when laws safeguarding public health have been relaxed to the point of people doing whatever they like with their domestic wastes, hence polluting the environment with impunity.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies Kenya among countries with a critical shortage of health workers in all categories, worse below the recommended World standards.
Public Health technicians are among the core building blocks of the health systems and unless the government works out on increasing their number and also equipping them properly, Kenyans will continue to face the risk of diseases for many years ahead.
Contacted, the public health officer in charge of Utoma Health Facility in Awendo Sub County Dr. Tom Olengo said the government is struggling with the public health care system to improve it for the benefit of the people.
Dr. Olengo, who partially agreed with most of the criticisms made against the key sector, said health officials should ensure appropriate hygiene countrywide so as to prevent diseases.
By George Agimba
