Ikotoilet, Kenya - Social Stool

Sanitation facilities in Kenya were often thought of as unclean areas, in which drug-dealing and attacks took place. As a result of this, many avoided the facilities and resorted to open defecation - a highly unsanitary act which can lead to the spread of fatal diarrhoeal diseases. Unfortunately, there was not much of a choice in this action.

Ikotoilet, in full use (Image Source)

When David Kuria produced the Ikotoilet, translating to 'there is a toilet', the intention was to alter the way in which people perceived going to the toilet. The facilities include full bathroom appliances, including a toilet, a shower and handbasins, as well as sanitation, the Ikotoilets also supply areas of social interaction in which people can listen to music, get a haircut and chat among friends. The scheme is said to have reached more than 10million people, charging only US$0.06 per use.

The Ikotoilet employs up to 10 people per facility, in order to provide the services of shoe shining/hair cutting and ensure that the toilets remain clean. This allows for a maintained, sanitary environment, in which people can feel safe to relieve themselves. Additionally, it can generate a fair amount of employment for locals in the area as most areas will require more than one ikotoilet station. The waste produced in the toilets can be used as fertiliser and ikotoilet are researching methods of integrating with energy production using human waste (Karugu, 2011)

When talking about Ikotoilet, it was said that the long length of the queues 'show that people are willing to pay [for the service]' (Hydratelife, 2013), however, this can be interpreted differently. People will queue for long periods of time to use sanitation facilities which are safe and clean, moreover, it is highly likely that, if the facilities were free, the queues would be even longer. One argument against Ikotoilet could be that it is immoral to capitalise off of something which should be a human right. Conversely, some believe that there is nothing wrong in 'doing well to do good' (Mwende, 2012)

A study conducted on the effectiveness of Ikotoilets came to a contested conclusion on the subject (Madegwa, 2012). The key findings suggested that whilst Ikotoilets are quite obviously an innovative and transformative facility in developing areas, some members of communities are not fully aware or satisfied with the services available. Examples of this are that few women were aware of the baby-changing units within the toilet, many found that toilet paper and soap were not always available, and there was great dissatisfaction in the fact that toilets often close as early as 6pm - causing people to resort to methods such as open defecation in the evening.

Furthermore, unlike Peepoo, Ikotoilet is a multiple-use toilet, designed to be used by numerous people. If not cleaned thoroughly, people are open to the risk of contracting diarrhoeal diseases through contact with bacteria left behind by the previous user(s).

To summarise, Ikotoilet is evidently a life changing facility, however, it is not yet near established and regulated enough in order to tackle sanitation issues on a large scale, across Africa.