Study on the usage of urinals in Kenyan schools

This exploratory study focused on the usage of urinals in Kenyan schools. The key focus of the study was on the potential impact of constructing urinals in order to improve access to sanitation facilities at school. The study focused on two key objectives, namely: to determine the optimal latrine-to-children ratio where adequate urinals are provided for both girls and boys; and to offer recommendations on the cost structure of urinals and latrine facilities in schools. Within the schools in the study, one in every three schools actually had a urinal for either boys, girls or both. The province with the fewest number of urinals was North Eastern. The results revealed that pupils use the sanitation facilities to urinate more than to defecate. We found that 95% of boys and 89% of girls used the school sanitation facilities during at least one of the break times. A majority of girls (57%) only used the facility for urination, while 32% defecated at least once during the day. The results were similar for boys. In addition, we found that boys were three times as likely and girls nearly two times more likely to not use the sanitation facilities in schools without urinals.[authors abstract]