At Christanus Oranje's home, we watched in awe as he skillfully balanced his crutches and smeared a portion of ash on his hands before rinsing them extensively moments after visiting his toilet at his Bomini village in Mumias East.
Despite living with disability following a road crash in October 2018 that immobilized his legs and forced him to undergo hip surgery, Oranje has been effortlessly using his pit latrine without any help from his wives.
Three years earlier, he relied on his wives or children to escort him to the toilet and help him use the pit latrine. He also battled swarms of flies that used to invade the toilet.
"My family used to struggle with cases of frequent sanitation-related diseases at the time. It was a disaster, and I had to be helped whenever I wanted to relieve myself," he explained.
He is among many families in Bomini village who got relief after embracing a new toilet innovation to improve sanitation and end open defecation.
"The stool has helped me. Although I am unable to bend my leg because of my disability, I no longer require help to relieve myself. I can use my crutches to go to the toilet with ease. I also don't have to struggle with flies," he says.
Open defecation is associated with bilharzia, intestinal parasites, increased child mortality rates, and contaminated environments.
A stroll in the lush green village with swathes of forests that used to provide perfect hideouts for open defecation reveals a rapidly changing trend that has improved sanitation.
Nearly all homesteads have a pit latrine fitted with Sato pan toilets. In homesteads with a family member with a disability, a Sato stool has been installed in one of the toilets.
While the toilets reserved for those with a disability have always been reserved for high-end hotels and ample government facilities, residents of Bomini have embraced it, too, for their pit latrines.
The project, a brainchild of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University alongside Kakamega County under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Boresha Jamii Program, was drafted to drive change in sanitation.
According to Nancy Khatenje, a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene coordinator for the program, the initiative has helped authorities to declare 67 villages in Kakamega as open defecation-free.
Last year, Governor Fernandes Barasa's administration directed all homes to construct toilets to help improve sanitation and reduce waterborne-related diseases.
According to county government records, the sub-county has not recorded any cholera outbreak since April 2023.
This has been attributed to improved sanitation and an increase in toilet coverage.
According to the United Nations, more than 800 children under five die every day from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water, poor sanitation, and hygiene.
Globally, Kenya is one of 26 countries responsible for 90 per cent of the world's open defecation.
According to the Ministry of Health, the country has set a 2030 deadline to ensure all homes have access to proper sanitation but is also banking on partnerships to help achieve that goal.
Similarly, the World Bank contends that Kenya loses about Sh27 billion in avoidable treatment, with the government forced to invest heavily in tackling diseases attributed to a lack of proper hygiene.
Residents of Mumias East who have embraced the new latrine usage method claim they have had fewer hospital visits for sanitation-related illnesses.
However, Kweyu contends that some families have yet to embrace the system, claiming the costs are high.
"I have been offering to help and even accepting gifts such as chicken as labour costs, but some are still reluctant. They also have to buy cement, which may be expensive at times," he says.