Fueling The Future
Challenges In Empowering Pupils As Change Agents
By Christine Nyandat
Barriers to Effective School-Led Total Sanitation( SLTS) Implementation in Rural Kenyan Schools
Sanitation remains a major challenge in many rural schools in Kenya. According to data from UNICEF, over 40 % of rural schools in Kenya lack basic sanitation facilities, exposing millions of children to health risks like diarrheal diseases. The WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme( JMP) 2019 / 2020 report paints a stark picture: 41 % of schools nationwide had no hygiene services, no handwashing facilities or water at all. In rural areas, only 34 % achieved basic hygiene services with soap and water, leaving the vast majority vulnerable, especially in low-income regions.
This shortage affects not only the health and dignity of pupils but also their ability to attend school regularly and participate fully in learning activities. Poor sanitation conditions expose children to preventable diseases and create environments that discourage consistent school attendance.
School-Led Total Sanitation( SLTS) emerged as an innovative response to these challenges. Introduced in Kenya around 2008 through collaboration between WaterAid and the Ministry of Education Kenya, SLTS is a participatory, child-centered approach aimed at helping schools achieve“ open defecation free”( ODF) status. The approach encourages pupils to take an active role in promoting hygiene practices
44 MAL71 / 26 ISSUE such as proper latrine use, handwashing with soap, and maintaining a clean school environment.
By empowering children as messengers of change, SLTS not only improves sanitation in schools but also spreads positive hygiene behaviors to households and surrounding communities. In rural hotspots like Baringo, Turkana, and Homa Bay, SLTS has transformed sanitation by empowering students as change agents. Pupils conduct awareness campaigns, monitor compliance, and enforce ODF declarations, fostering ownership absent in top-down interventions. Early successes included rapid ODF certifications in pilot schools, reducing absenteeism and boosting hygiene literacy.
Yet, while SLTS offers a promising pathway for behavioral change, its effectiveness in rural Kenya is undermined by chronic underfunding, inadequate infrastructure, and cultural resistance. Resource scarcity hampers maintenance; many schools lack functional latrines post-ODF, reverting to open defecation during rains. Cultural barriers, such as taboos around girls ' menstrual hygiene, deter participation, while nomadic lifestyles in arid areas like Turkana erode gains.
Conceptual Framework of SLTS
SLTS is a new program approach, which aims at empowering schools and communities for eliminating Open Defecation( OD) from schools’ catchments and promoting Hygiene and Sanitation( HS). SLTS recognizes the school as an entry point and student as the change agents. This program encourages communities to move towards TS. Unlike the conventional approaches of HS that had focused mainly on increasing the number of toilets, SLTS aims to achieve universal toilet coverage within the given program areas( school catchments) followed by good hand washing and hygiene behavior.
The philosophy behind SLTS is that lasting sanitation change comes from within communities themselves. By encouraging students, teachers, and parents to reflect on the health risks associated with open defecation, the program appeals to their sense of dignity and self-esteem. When communities understand the consequences of poor sanitation, they become more motivated to construct and use latrines and adopt better hygiene practices. Schools are particularly suitable for this approach because they are stable institutions that maintain long-term relationships with surrounding communities. This stability allows school-based sanitation committees and pupil hygiene clubs to remain active over time, helping sustain improvements in sanitation behavior.
The SLTS approach includes several core components that support its effectiveness. These include the formation of school sanitation committees, the establishment of pupil hygiene clubs, and the use of open