1. A PhD Concept by Bundi Marita Hesborn
Department of Design and Creative Media
ACCESSIBLE SANITATION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS IN
RURAL KENYA
A Case Study of Kisii County
2. INTRODUCTION
ACCESSIBLE: accessible refers to the capability of being reachable, dealt with, being used,
understood as well as being appreciated (Merriam-Webster, 2017).
SANITATION: According to the world Health Organization, sanitation is described as the
availability of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human waste (World Health
Organization, 2017).
Accessible sanitation, therefore, refers to enabling users with diverse abilities to
reach/use/gain access and use the available facilities and services for safe waste disposal.
The aim of introducing accessibility to sanitation is to reduce barriers to navigation as well
as ensuring that no user is restrained from accessing such facilities or services irrespective of
their age or disability.
3. Cont.
According to the United Nations’ World ageing report, the term ‘senior citizens’ refers to
persons who have attained the age of 60 years and above (United Nations, 2015).
The population of senior citizens has been on a steady increase from the advent of the 20th
century leading to demand for social transformation into the 21st century, with implications
for labor, financial markets, housing and social protection.
By the year 2050, the population of senior citizens is expected to be about 2.1 billion and 3.2
billion by 2100 (ibid).
This research and thesis are, therefore, aimed at studying the challenges faced by the
senior citizens in accessing sanitation in Kisii County, Kenya.
An important component of this undertaking is to propose affordable solutions towards
improving general hygiene and living conditions for the elderly.
4. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Long term physical and mental disabilities amongst the aged have made
it difficult for senior citizens to use the pit latrines common in rural areas.
The population of caregivers who would be offering them the required
assistance in accessing the available facilities has shrank due to;
changing family structures, HIV andAIDS and rural urban migration.
High illiteracy levels especially amongst older women have made then
ignorant of the need for better structures or improvement of existing
structures.
Cultural practices and traditions have created barriers to accessing the
available shared facilities especially between the old and the young. In
Luo Nyanza the Elderly and theYoung traditionally don’t share latrines.
A lack of Ruralification of Design. Designers are only focused designing
for the urban population.
5. OBJECTIVES
Main Objective
1.To design and propose accessible, affordable and user friendly Sanitation facilities for senior citizens in Rural
Kenya.
Specific Objectives
1) To investigate the state of sanitation facilities in rural areas and the steps taken in making sanitation
facilities accessible and affordable to the aged in rural areas and their effectiveness.
2) To reveal and articulate cultural practices that influences the design and practice in sanitation facilities in
rural Kenya.
3) To discover and describe the challenges senior citizens face in rural areas in accessing sanitation facilities
4) To identify and link global trends and emerging trends that have and can be developed in making
sanitation facilities universally accessible to all.
6. RESEARCHQUESTIONS
Specific Research Question
1. What is the state of sanitation facilities in rural areas and the steps taken in making sanitation facilities
accessible and affordable to the aged in Kisii County
2. What are the cultural practices that influence the design and practice in sanitation facilities in Kisii County?
3. What are the challenges senior citizens face in accessing sanitation facilities in Kisii County?
4. What global trends have been developed in the provision of user friendly sanitation facilities universally
accessible to all?
7. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
1. Prototype; the significance of this research is to design efficient sanitation structures that can be easily utilized by the
aged, affordable as well as culturally accommodative. Using Kisii as a subject for intensive study, tThe researcher will
conduct a situational analysis to establish the current conditions, cultural practices and the challenges that senior citizens
face in accessing the available facilities, study global trends then finally develop an improved design that is affordable to
the elderly in rural Nyanza.
2. Framework:This research will therefore be significant in setting the framework for the design of accessible sanitation
facilities for the elderly in rural areas towards improving their lifestyles. Such a framework, specific to Abagusii, will be
applicable with appropriate adjustments in many areas of Kenya if not the whole country
3. Academic: the research will also add into the existing knowledge both local and global, the understanding of available
raw materials for design and construction of accessible sanitation as well as the influence of culture and traditions on the
design of such facilities.
8. Preliminary research Findings:
Kisii County is, one of the 478 counties of Kenya covers an area of approximately
1,300km2 with a population of 1,152,282. This comprises of 550,464 males and
601,818 females respectively.
The population was projected at 1,226,873 in 2012 consisting of 536,062 males and
640,811 females. The 2017 the population was projected to be at 1,362,779 with
650,982 males and 711,797 females up from 652,000 in the 60s
Politically, the County is organized into 9 constituencies namely: Bobasi, Bonchari,
Bomachoge Chache, Bomachoge Borabu, Kitutu Chache North, Kitutu Chache
South, Nyaribari Chache, Nyaribari Masaba, and South Mugirango. (KISII COUNTY
GOVERNMENT, 2013-2018)
9. Water and SanitationCase in South Mugirango
Between the years 1994-1996, the Ministry of healthy, through a
foreign donor, launched a water and sanitation project in South
Mugirango, that was aimed at providing clean water as well as
affordable toilet facilities for the locals. The project was to be
spearheaded by the locals who came together and selected
leaders to be in charge of the program.
After the water point was successfully installed and accessible to
all. Despite this initiative the cholera outbreaks in the village
continued. This was due to poor latrines and open defecation
that contaminated the surrounding water features.
10. MOH then introduced the
concrete slabs. The concrete slabs
were assembled at one point then
transported to the respective
homes for installation. A team of
of young men were selected from
the community and taken
through a training to lay out
construct and install the slabs.
Because the project was a
community self-help the young
men only depended on
appreciation from the home
owners when the slab was
installed.
11. According to Henry Nyabuto one of the beneficiaries of the scheme and one of the young men taken through
the training the project, several challenges killed the project despite the significance it posed to the
community:
a. Despite the project being a community project the leaders spearheading colluded with non-registered
members who bought the slabs and registered members were left out. Ask me about our son’s experience with
solar lamps
b. Despite the labour intensive process of making the slabs, Henry and his fellow labourers were never paid
for the services they provided. Bad planning and bad cooperation
c. Disunity amongst members caused internal wrangles that’s what humans do
d. Leadership wrangles amongst the management team led to a lack of leadership. At least nobody was
killed
