Campaigns against cholera have gained momentum after the Migori county government set out to distribute water tanks to more than 100 schools.
Some 40,000 students now have a reason to smile after the county government spent Sh16 million to purchase and distribute 200 water tanks to provide clean water and reduce cases of waterborne diseases.
This initiative comes a month after a report was released that the county is among regions most at risk of cholera outbreak.
By March this year, about twelve people had reportedly died from the ailment while some 500 others were admitted after exhibiting symptoms of the disease, which can kill victims in less than 24 hours after infection.
While presiding over the water tanks launch, Planning Executive Tom Kasera said the county government has also started drilling more boreholes and water pans.
"We intend to sink 200 boreholes across the county with each sub-county having five such water sources. We have also started digging a number of water pans in the wards," he said.
The executive said most residents still rely on water from rivers, dams and Lake Victoria for domestic use, adding that health experts have identified these as the main cause of waterborne diseases in the region.
He said these initiatives are geared toward ensuring all homesteads have access to clean water for domestic use by 2017.
"This is an initiative we have started and the county government is committed to seeing it through and ensuring it becomes a success," he said.