SATO Kenya to upgrade toilets for over 24 schools in the country

An award-winning social business tackling the global sanitation and hygiene challenge is upgrading toilets in 24 schools across the country.

The project that will run over the next year will provide a clean, fresh and safe learning environment for more than 50,000 children. 

The upgrade involves converting the schools’ open pit latrines to closed flushable toilets with a toilet pan. This aims to contribute towards delivering better learning outcomes in Kenya.  

The initiative is part of SATO’s Schools Toilet Enhancement Programme, which targets upgrading toilets in 144 schools across six countries in Africa, where it has a footprint. The initiative targets a reach of more than 7.2 million children across the continent. 

According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, Africa lags globally in providing water and sanitation in schools. In Kenya, only half of the schools have basic sanitation facilities, with 84 per cent of rural schools lacking hygiene facilities.

As part of the STEP initiative, SATO has upgraded toilets at Lea Mathare Learning Centre, which caters for 100 children from Mathare slums in Nairobi County. The completed toilets were handed over to the school community last week.

“Besides providing a good learning environment, our innovative and affordable solutions will also improve the school’s sanitation facilities. Sanitation is the foundation of good health and we need to make deliberate efforts to make this a reality,” said Mr Samuel Langat, Africa Lead for SATO, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Lea Mathare Learning Centre.

Mr Langat explained that STEP takes a holistic approach that not only involves upgrading the toilets in the school and fitting them with SATO solutions, but also benefits the community surrounding the school. The toilets are fitted with SATO innovative trap doors that minimise odours and keep flies and other insects away. They also require 80 per cent less water to flush, compared to traditional toilets. 

“These new toilets have greatly improved the children’s learning experience. Previously, we only had one latrine and pupils had to queue to use it. Now they have more toilets to use and we also have running water,” said Reagan Waithaka, the founder and director of Lea Mathare Learning Centre. 

SATO’s Kenya Country Head, Alex Njagi, said besides upgrading the toilets at the school, each of the pupils was also given a SATO Tap, an innovative handwashing station for use at home. Old PET bottles serve as water reservoirs for the handwashing facilities, thus avoiding waste.