Pupils forced to use neighbours’ toilets as latrine shortage bites

What you need to know:

  • He said he found the shortage in 2015 when he was first posted in the school, adding that the facilities the institution had then were dilapidated and they were forced to build temporary ones, which were neither sufficient nor up to the required standards.

Mbozi. Pupils at Mbozi Primary School in Songwe Region are in danger of contracting communicable diseases, following a shortage of latrines, forcing them to stand in queues while waiting to access the toilets.

“Some of them are forced to relieve themselves at neighbours houses, with the permission of the owners,” the school head teacher, Mr Christopher Mbwaga, said.

He said he found the shortage in 2015 when he was first posted in the school, adding that the facilities the institution had then were dilapidated and they were forced to build temporary ones, which were neither sufficient nor up to the required standards.

He explained that due to the shortage they had stopped registering Standard One pupils for the current year.

 “Following the challenge, this year we have been forced to postpone registration of Standard One as they are too young to cope with the situation,” said Mr Mbwaga.

The head teacher said the school, which is home to over 900 pupils, needs at least 36 pit latrines, whereby 20 would be allocated to girls and 16 to boys. He revealed that the school was currently operating with only six pit latrines and efforts to increase the number have proved fruitless so far.

 “In October, the roofs of ten pit latrines were blown away by winds even though they were already filled up. Even though I reported to the village government, which came up with a strategy to build new ones through collection of over Sh2 million from wananchi, nothing has so far been achieved,” he said.