The Unit’s mandate is to oversee activities of sanitation and hygiene promotion activities across the country and scale up sanitation and hygiene approaches and technologies. It comprises the Sanitation Coordinator who is the head of the Unit, Public Health Specialists and Environmental Health Officers. The Unit works with line Ministries (MOH and MoES), Civil Society Organizations, Media and Private Sector to ensure promotion of sanitation and hygiene.

The Sanitation Unit also houses the National Hand washing Initiative (NHWI) which seeks to stimulate and sustain the behavior of hand washing with soap at all critical moments among mother’s/ care givers of children under five years to contribute to the improvement of child health and survival through the reduction of diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections and infections of new born babies during and after delivery.

Strategy for Promotion of Sanitation and Hygiene

• Continuous awareness creation at all levels targeting behaviour change and exemplary leadership.
• Continuous enforcement of relevant legislation
• Increased Advocacy to increase financing for Hygiene and Sanitation activities.
• Emphasize school sanitation in order to target school children as change agent
• Media campaigns.