Bondeni Primary School
Bondeni primary school is located in Sipili location, Ng’arua Division in Laikipia West District of Kenya and is approximately 75km from the nearest town
Water and Sanitation Situation
The school has an incomplete and abandoned underground rainwater-harvesting tank, which posses a hazard to the school children as it is open and holds dirty stagnant water. The stagnant water is also a breeding place for mosquitoes. The only source of water is a communal dam, located 3km away from the primary school, which is about 1½ hours walk to and from the water source. Moreover the quality of water from the dam is not suitable for drinking purposes of the children and the community. The water is mainly collected by women, sometimes using bicycles or
donkeys. As a result, the school buys water from vendors at a cost of 150 Kenya shillings (US$ 2) per day for its feeding program. Sometimes, the children are forced to fetch water for the school or teachers, which leaves them with little time to concentrate on their studies thus lowering their performance.
On sanitation, the school had 15 semi-permanent pitlatrines that collapsed due to poor design and weak soil structure. The only existing latrines are the teachers’ latrines, which are also in a pathetic condition and are shared with the pupils. This has led to an increase in disease outbreaks such as diarrhea and stomach ailments. On average, 4 pupils are absent daily due to stomach ailments, typhoid or other sanitation related diseases.
