Assessing the Utilization of Commercialized Public Toilets in Kakamega Town
Abstract
Human waste management continues to be a major global challenge facing urban growth. Managing sanitation is therefore a challenge facing most governments. The objective of this study was to assess the utilization of commercialized public toilets in Kakamega Town. The study adopted a descriptive research design carried out in Kakamega Town. The target population comprised residents of Kakamega town and those on daily transit. Purposive sampling was done for Kakamega County town and key informants, while Simple random sampling was done for town residents and business people. Systematic sampling was conducted on individuals using public toilets. A sample size of 351 participants was finally used and data was collected using observation, interviews, questionnaires, and document review. 265 (75.5%) of respondents knew of public toilets and their location with only 25.9% of females being very often users. The majority of respondents 256 (72.9%) chose public toilets because of their cleanliness and appearance. Physically challenged respondents were less likely to use commercial toilets in contrast to the able-bodied respondents (OR: 0.4; 95%CI: 0.2 – 0.8; p=0.008). Location, signage, and maps were among the factors identified as determining the utilization of the public toilet facilities in Kakamega Town. There were low incidents of open defecation, urination, and flying toilets in places where commercialized public toilets were. In conclusion, commercialized public toilets were highly utilized and preferred in Kakamega town due to their cleanliness, location, and accessibility. The study recommends the town increase the number of commercialized public toilet facilities and the management of non-commercialized public toilets in the county government of Kakamega to enhance cleanliness and access to all public toilets within the town
Downloads
References
Afacan, Y. & Gürel, O, M. (2015). Public Toilets: An Exploratory Study on the Demands, Needs, and Expectations in Turkey. DOI:10.1068/b130020p
Ahuma-Smith, C., Bavuno, S. and Okyere, G. (2020). Access to Public Toilets Facilities. Amongst Physically Challenged People. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT). Vol. 9 Issue 07, July-2020.
Ali, J. & Khan, W. (2024). Demographic, Social and Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Green Toilets Among Rural Households in India. Environ Dev Sustain 26, 5117–5138.
Aly, D., & Dimitrijevic, B., (2024). Assessing Park Qualities of Public Parks in Cairo, Egypt. International Journal of Architectural Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-03-2022-0073.
Augsburg B., Antonella B., Zara., Madhav V, & White Z. (2022). When Nature Calls Back: Sustaining Behavioral Change in Rural Pakistan. Journal of Development Economics. Elsevier Volume 158(C), 102933.
Banks, L, T. (2019). The Disappearing Public Toilet. 50 Seton Hall Law Review 1061 (2020). U of Maryland Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2019-10.
Bradley Corporation (2018). Pay to Use Public Toilet? Money Americans Say They Would. Menomonee Falls,wis., March 20, 2018/PRNewswire/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pay-to-use-a-public-toilet-many-americans-say-they-would-300616589.html
Buor, D. & Asuah G, A. (2020). Access to Sanitation Facilities in a Predominantly Rural District in Ghana: Socioeconomic and Cultural Determinants and the Equity Syndrome. International Journal of Geography and Regional Planning 6(1): 146-157. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343392571
City of Wollongong (2019). Public Toilet Strategy 2019-2029. file.CCE-020.50.60.022Doc: IC19/253
Crouch, D. (2018). Cashing Out? Why Notes and Coins May Become a Thing of the Past in Sweden. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/krona-public-toilets-cashless-sweden-coin.
Deslypere J. P. (2004); Effect of public toilets on public health; conference proceedings of the World Toilet Association summit; Beijing. Nov. 2004, pp179-84,
Esmeraldo, A. C., Carvalho, L. V., Marques, J. F., Oliveira, P. M., Almeida, P. C. & Marlena, L. F. P. (2016). Physical Accessibility for Disabled People. Analysis Of Toilet Facilities In Primary Health Care Units. Open Journal of Nursing, 6, 948-957. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2016.611091.
Fikralem A., Kumie A , Medhin, G., Gebre, T. , & Godfrey, P. (2017). A Socio-Ecological Analysis of Barriers to The Adoption, Sustainability and Consistent Use of Sanitation Facilities in Rural Ethiopia. PMID: 28903743, PMCID: PMC5598066, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4717-6.
Fozouni L., Buchheit B., Walley A.& Testa M. (2019). Public Restroom and the Opioid Epidemic: Substance Abuse 4(4):1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2019.1640834
Greed, C. (2019). Join the Queue: Including Women’s Toilet Needs in Public Space. SAGE Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1191/0143624406bt151oa.
Gubic, I. & Baloi, O. (2020). Public open space initiatives for healthier cities in Rwanda. The Journal of Public Space, 5(2), 129-146, DOI 10.32891/jps.v5i2.1287
Hardin G. (1968). Tragedy of The Commons. American Journal of Science for Advancement of Science. New York. https://math.uchicago.edu/~shmuel/Modeling/Hardin,%20Tragedy%20of%20the%20Commons.pdf.
Hartigan, S, M., Bonnet, K., Chisholm, L. & Kowalik, C, G. (2020). Why Do Women Not Use the Bathroom? Women’s Attitudes and Beliefs on Using Public toilets. Research gate, Basel, Switzerland. Intel Journ of Envi Research and Public Health(IJERPH) 17(6): 2053.DOI:10.3390/ijerph17062053. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340075990.
Harts O. & Holmstrom B. (1986). ‘Theory of Contract’s,’ In Advances in Economic Theory: Papers Presented at Symposia of The Fifth World Congress of The Economic Society, Ed. By T. F. Bewley. Cambridge University press, Cambridge. https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/64265/theoryofcontract00hart.pdf
Hochbaum, R, S. (2020). Bathrooms as a Homeless Rights Issue. 98 N.C. L. Rev. 205: https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol98/iss2/2.
Iftikhar, A., Muhammad, M, L. & Mirajul, H. (2020). Availability, Hygiene and Aesthetics: Estimating Willingness to Pay for Public Preferences. Journal of the Social Sciences Vol. 48(3).
Jaglarz, A. (2020). Public Toilets: Determinant of the Progress of Civilization and Consciousness of Societies or a Necessary Evil? Advances in Human Factors in Architecture. Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure (pp.87-97) DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-20151-7_9.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, KNBS (2021). The Kenya Poverty Report Based on the 2021 Kenya Continuous Household Survey. KNBS, Nairobi Kenya.
Kieran, G. (2015). South Africa Should Invest in Public Toilets to Combat Sexual Assault. Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Mildura Rural City (2018). Mildura Public Toilet Strategy, Issues and Opportunities Report. Ethos Urban, Mildura. Victoria.
Ministry of Health Ethiopia (2021). Public Toilet Design and Management Guideline. http://repository.iifphc.org/bitstream/handle/123456789/1691/PublicToilet-Design-and-Management- Guideline- 2021.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Mugenda, O, M. & Mugenda, A, G. (2003). Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Acts Press, Nairobi, Kenya.
Muhele, M, (2016). Factors Influencing Sanitation Practices in Kibera Urban Informal Settlements in Nairobi- Kenya. University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Occupation Safety and Health (2019). OSH Law & Regulation. USA. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Peprah, D., Baker, K., Moe, C., Robb, K., Wellington, N., Yakubu, H., and Null, C. (2015). Public Toilets & Their Costumers in Low-Income Accra, Ghana. Environment and Urbanization 27(2) DOI:10.1177/0956247815595918.
Police Foundation (2017). Archival Review of Sexual Assault Complaints in Places of Public Accommodation: Tucson. Arizona. https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PF_Research-Brief_JULY-2017-FINAL-1.pdf
Seattle University Free Way Park_ FWP (2016). An Organizational-Theory Focused Analysis Of Seattle’s Freeway Park: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/ParksAndRecreation/Projects/FreewayPark/SeattleU_FWP_Report_Final_Mar2016.pdf.
Shaw, N., Fewster, E. & Cavill, S. (2019). Technical Guidelines for Construction of Institutional and Public Toilets. https://washmatters.wateraid.org/sites/g/files/jkxoof256/files/technical-guidelines-for-construction-of-institutional-and-public-toilets.pdf.
Sibanda, K, L., Obande, N., and Awuor, F, O. (2017). Challenges of Solid Waste Management in Kisumu, Kenya. Urban Forum 28(4) DOI:10.1007/s12132-017-9316-1
South Africa police service, -SAPS (2020). Crime Statistics: Crime Situation in a Republic of South of South Africa Twelve (12) Months. April to March 2019-2020. https://www.saps.gov.za/services/april_to_march_2019_20_presentation.pdf.
The Rural City of Murray Bridge (2017). ‘At Your Convenience’ A Public Toile Strategy for the Rural City of Murray Bridge 2017-2022. https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/341040/Public-Toilet-Strategy-FINAL-updated-Council-resoultion-Nov-17 pdf
UN (2018). Clean Water and Sanitation. UN Publication. New York, New York 10017. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/19901SDG6_SR2018_web_3.pdf.
UN (2019). World Population Prospects 2019 Highlights. United Nations, New York. https://population.un.org/wpp/publications/files/wpp2019_highlights.pdf.
UNICEF (2016a). Making Nigeria Open-Defecation-Free By 2025. A National Road Map. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/media/1491/file/Nigeria-making-Nigeria-open-defecation-free-by-2025.pdf.
UNICEF (2016b). Sudan National Sanitation and Hygiene Strategic Framework. https://www.unicef.org/sudan/media/1026/file/National-Sanitation-Hygiene-Strategic-Framework-2016.pd.
UNICEF & WHO, (2020). State of The World’s Summary Report, SANITATION, An Urgent Call to Transform Sanitation for Better Health, Environments, Economies and Societies. UNICEF and WHO, New York, USA.
United State Transgender Survey (2022). Statement of National Center for Transgender Equality House Committee on Oversight & Reform. The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States. https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/Hunt%20Testimony.pdf.
UN-Habitat, (2016). Slum Almanac 2015-2016.
UN-WATER (2015). WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) - 2015 Update. UN-WATER. https://www.unwater.org/publications/who/unicef-joint-monitoring-program-water-supply-and-sanitation-jmp-2015-update.
USAID (2021). Creating Viable and Sustainable Sanitation Enterprises. USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPALS) Project. Washington, DC. https://www.globalwaters.org/sites/default/files/creating_viable_and_sustainable_sanitation_enterprises_guidance_report.pdf.
Uwamwezi, G. (2016). Knowledge, Attitude and Practices on Waste Management in Selected Secondary Schools in Westland Sub-County, Nairobi County.
Vyas S., Varshney, D., Sharma, P., Juyal, R.., Nautiya, V., & Shrotriya, V. P. (2015). An Overview of the Predictors of Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infection Among Nursing Students. Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2015 Jan-Feb; 5(1): 54–58. PMCID: PMC4350064.PMID: 25745578. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.149790
WASH (2022). Wash and Older People. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/ids_wash_and_older_people_2022.pdf.
WHO (2017). Publication on Water, Sanitation and Health 2017.
WHO (2018). Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. WHO, Geneva. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241514705.
WHO (2023b). Sanitation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation.
WHO & UNICEF (2017). Progress on Drinking water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Updates and +SDGs Baseline.
Wolfson, S, B., Bennet, A, S., Luther, E. & Curtis, R. (2017). Drug Use in Business Bathrooms: An Exploratory Study of Manager Encounters in New York City. PMCID: PMC 5304450 |NIHMSID: NHMS58455188 PMID:27768996
Copyright (c) 2024 Okanga Mutambi Philip, Sylvester Makhulo, Immonje M. Margaret
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
