Kenya has taken a major step toward fixing long-standing sanitation challenges with the launch of the SaniBook, the country’s first national sanitation knowledge resource designed to bring together data, experience and lessons from across the sector.
The platform was introduced on Thursday in Nairobi and is expected to guide policy, planning and cooperation by bringing together information from government institutions, private sector players, civil society groups and community actors. Its goal is to close long-standing gaps caused by scattered data and isolated solutions that have slowed progress in the sanitation sector.
Senior government officials said the SaniBook responds to a problem Kenya has faced for years, where good sanitation ideas exist but are not properly recorded, shared or expanded to benefit more communities.
Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus K. Ng’eno said the country has many successful sanitation interventions, but lacks a system to document and grow them.
“Kenya does not suffer from a lack of innovation. We suffer from data inertia, where successful interventions remain invisible and unscaled,” he said.
Ng’eno noted that poor sanitation has had serious economic effects, estimating that the country loses about Sh27 billion every year due to sanitation-related challenges.
He explained that the SaniBook is meant to solve this problem by collecting sanitation data, case studies and lessons from a wide range of actors, including government agencies, private companies, non-governmental organizations and community-led projects.
According to Ng’eno, the publication will act as a national knowledge hub, helping leaders at both national and county levels make informed decisions based on evidence rather than guesswork.
The first edition of the SaniBook focuses on seven major sanitation bottlenecks that continue to affect service delivery. It also presents tested and proven approaches that can be copied and applied in different parts of the country to improve sanitation outcomes.
Ng’eno said sanitation goes beyond health and plays a key role in protecting the environment and responding to climate change.
“When sanitation is managed well, we protect ecosystems, reduce pollution and build climate resilience,” he said.
He added that improved sanitation supports Sustainable Development Goal 6.2 on sanitation and hygiene, while also contributing to wider goals linked to climate action, life below water and life on land.
Ng’eno urged all sanitation stakeholders to take part in the SaniBook by sharing their work, documenting their experiences and using the platform to learn from one another and strengthen cooperation.
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni Muriuki said access to safe sanitation remains a major challenge, with millions of Kenyans still lacking proper services and many others continuing to practise open defecation.
She said the Ministry of Health remains committed to working closely with partners to strengthen sanitation systems and ensure better health and dignity for all citizens.
The launch of the SaniBook has attracted interest from many water and sanitation stakeholders, showing growing agreement that shared knowledge and coordinated action are necessary to speed up progress toward universal sanitation in Kenya.
